“Our work has direct implications on sustainability,not only for renewable energy,but for sustainable biomanufacturing,”said Princeton University’s JoséAvalos,a co-investigator at one of the four centers and associate professor of chemical and biological engineering(CBE)and the Andlinger Center for Energy.“That is what,deep down,drives my work,”Avalos said,“the hope that one day,we will contribute to producing renewable energy,or any of the products that we use on aregular basis,in amore sustainable way.”Princeton professors Joshua Rabinowitz and Christos Maravelias are also significant Bioenergy Research Center collaborators.“To meet our future energy needs,we will need versatile renewables,”said U.S.Secretary of Energy Jennifer M.Granholm.“Continuing to fund the important scientific work conducted at our Bioenergy Research Centers is critical to ensuring these sustainable resources can be an efficient and affordable part of our clean energy future.”The four centers,each led by anational laboratory or university,are the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center,the Center for Bioenergy Innovation,the Joint BioEnergy Institute,and the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation(CABBI).The renewed investment in these centers promises to yield arange of important new products and fuels derived directly from non-food plant biomass,such as switchgrass,poplar,energy cane and energy sorghum.Princeton’s Rabinowitz,professor of chemistry and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics,is one of the three leaders for CABBI’s“conversion”efforts,using yeasts to convert biomass into biodiesel,organic acids,jet fuels,lubricants and alcohols.One species of yeast,Issatchenkia orientalis,is best known for fermenting cocoa beans(a vital step in chocolate production),but Rabinowitz and Avalos are using it to convert biomass into the chemicals and materials traditionally produced from petroleum.Their other primary tool,the yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides,has a“very reactive lipid metabolism,which means that it loves to eat and loves to make oils and oily chemicals,including diesel,”Avalos explained.“We’re eager to apply our growing knowledge of metabolism to address one of the world’s biggest problems,which is renewable energy,”said Rabinowitz.“Many of the key steps from plant waste to biofuel involve metabolism,specifically yeast’s metabolism,so want to ply our tools to figure out exactly where the molecules are going:Where are they going that we don’t want them to go?How can we get them back on track?What are the barriers to efficient conversion of plant waste into biofuels?”Rabinowitz has been with CABBI since its beginning,but Avalos only recently joined CABBI’s team of researchers.“My work and Josh’s is very complementary,because he is very good at studying metabolic pathways—identifying bottlenecks and branching points and things like that—and in my lab,we have developed the ability to control yeast metabolism using light,”Avalos said.“If you think of yeast’s metabolism as aseries of valves,we can open or close different metabolic valves by turning light on and off,”he explained.“So in combination,Josh’s team and mine can not only engineer better yeast strains,but also better understand what goes on inside the yeast cell.” 查看详细>>

Over an action-packed three days in January,ten teams of Princeton graduate students and postdoctoral researchers forged and strengthened entrepreneurial ventures through the newly created Princeton Startup Bootcamp,led by startup accelerator firm Techstars and organized by Princeton Innovation.The bootcamp is the latest new program to launch under Princeton Innovation,led by Vice Dean for Innovation Rodney D.Priestley.“We want to support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who are interested in pursuing entrepreneurship,”said Priestley,the Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering.“Bringing Techstars to Princeton through this intensive bootcamp is one way to complement their scholarly training.”The 33 graduate students and postdocs on the ten teams participated in virtual workshops during Wintersession on how to refine their ideas,how to develop their business models and more.Ten experienced startup founders and investors mentored the teams and provided feedback on their ideas.The bootcamp ended with avirtual pitch competition judged by apanel of friendly venture capitalists,with a$10,000 prize for the top startup.The second Princeton Startup Bootcamp,Powered by Techstars program,will return in May for anew cohort of Princeton graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.Applications will open on March 17. 查看详细>>

Seven innovations with the potential to benefit society and spur the economy have been awarded funding to bridge the gap between laboratory research and the development needed to move promising ideas into the global marketplace.Princeton’s Intellectual Property Accelerator Fund provides up to$100,000 to faculty-led teams looking to explore ways to make their discoveries and inventions available to the public via licensing,startups or entrepreneurial ventures.The funds enable researchers to conduct proof-of-concept studies,gather additional data,make prototypes or otherwise demonstrate the potential applications of the technology.“The solutions to some of the greatest problems facing us have come from curiosity-driven university research,and Princeton is at the forefront of innovative exploration in areas ranging from life sciences to artificial intelligence,”said John Ritter,director of technology licensing.“With the resources offered through the Intellectual Property Fund,Princeton provides support that can make the difference between an intriguing laboratory discovery and amajor new invention with the potential to transform lives.” 查看详细>>

Startup culture meets social good as Princeton students innovate for international prize.Denise Valenti for the Office of Communications April 27,2018 1:39 p.m.Four Princeton students entered the international Hult Prize competition with adevice they built called WellPower,a solar-powered water purifier that also can be used as apower source in remote communities.Pictured from left to right are Victoria Scott,Ayushi Sinha,Noah Schochet and Todd Baldwin.Photo by Sameer A.... 查看详细>>

‘Dynamic incubator space’for science-based innovation formally opens.Liz Fuller-Wright,Office of Communications May 18,2018 noon Officials gather?Thursday,May 17,at the ribbon-cutting for the Princeton Innovation Center BioLabs,a shared entrepreneurial space on the Forrestal Center for science-based businesses.From left are:?Susan Chase,Anne-Marie Maman,Andrew Zwicker,Peter Cantu,Christopher L.Eisgruber,Johannes Fruehauf,Deborah Prentice,Paul LaMarche,Nishta Rao and... 查看详细>>