Engineering novel bacteria circuitry

This project involves the exploration and engineering of bacteria genetic circuitry for biotechnological applications. A great number of bacteria species in nature form intricate patterns on petri dishes as they grow, swim, and swarm on various surfaces. This occurs due to metabolism of nutrients, chemotaxis towards specific molecules, accumulation of waste, and quorum-sensing (bacteria communication). One major aspect of this project will explore the pattern formation of engineered bacteria colonies experimentally and computationally with established models. We will develop an understanding of the pattern formation process by using synthetic biology techniques, which will allow us to add, modulate, and delete genes and regulatory elements that are involved in the pattern formation process.