
Mark Blenner
Associate Professor, University of Delaware
NIH & AHA Postdoc Fellow, Harvard Medical School
PhD Chemical Engineering, Columbia Univeristy
BS Chemical Engineering, Manhattan College
Dr. Blenner's interest is generating systems level data and synthetic biology tools to speed the design, build, test cycle for yeast, mammalian cells, and microbial communities. His group is interested in solving problems in complex environments, such as biomanufacturing, and wild environments outside the lab. He views the most important part of his job as helping students develop as independent creative critical thinkers. Dr. Blenner has won numerous awards including the PECASE, the 2022 AIChE Division 15 Early Career Award, and the 2021 ACS BIOT Young Investigator Award
Graduate Students & Postdocs

Ayushi Agrawal
PhD Student
Engineering Yeast for Natural Product
BS Chem. Eng., SRM
MS Chem. Eng., Rutgers

Emily Doleh
PhD Student
Mammalian Synthetic Biology
BS Chem. Eng., Ohio State

VIjay Ganesan
PhD Student
Genetic Tools for Pathway Balancing
BS Chem. Eng., Anna U.
MS Chem. Eng., Rutgers

Phil Gitman
PhD Student
GAANN Fellow
Engineering Synthetic Methylotrophy
BS Chem. Eng., UConn

Spencer Grissom
PhD Student
NSF GRFP Fellow
Epigenetic Tools for Biopharmaceuticals
BS Chem. Eng., Maryland

Richa Guleria, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Engineering Yeast for Oleochemicals
BS Biochemistry, Garhwal University
PhD Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru

Postdoctoral Fellow
Jaya Gupta, PhD
Engineering Yeast for Oleochemicals
BS Biochemistry, Bundelkhand U.
PhD Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru

PhD Student (w/ Kevin Solomon)
Alex Hansen
Microbiome of Plastic Degradation
BS Chem. Eng., UA Huntsville
%20-%20Ross%20Klauer.jpg)
Ross Klauer
PhD Student (w/ Kevin Solomon)
CBI Fellow
Microbiome of Plastic Degradation
BS Chem. Eng., Rose Hullman

PhD Student (w/ Wilfred Chen)
Derron Ma
Dynamic Regulation of Metabolism
BS Biosys. Eng., UC Davis

Lummy Monteiro, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Microbiome of Plastic Degrading Insects
BS Biochemistry, U. Sao Paolo
PhD Biochemistry, U. Sao Paolo

Austin Morgan
Microbiology PhD Student
Autonomous Stable Gene Circuits
BS BIochem, Truman State

Postdoctoral Fellow
Chris Nauman, PhD
Engineering Macronutrientrs from Plastic
BS Molecular Biology, UMKC
PhD Molecular Biology, UMKC

PhD Student
Phil O'Dell
Plant Natural Product Biosynthesis
BS Biochem, Miami University
MS Chem. Eng., Miami University

PhD Student
Rachel Silvestri
Human Therapeutics from Yeast
BS Chem. Eng., Manhattan College

Siva Somasundaram, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Engineering Yeast for Oleochemicals
BS Biotechnology, Pondicherry
PhD Biotechnology, Ulsan

Michael Spagnuolo
Postdoctoral Fellow
Oleochemical Metabolic Engineering
BS Chem. Eng., Ohio State
PhD Chem. Eng., Clemson U.

PhD Student (w/ Wilfred Chen)
NDSEG Fellow
Anthony Stohr
RNA-based Metabolic Biosensors
BS Chem. Eng., Northeastern

Derek Wu
PhD Student (w/ Kevin Solomon)
Plastic Biodegradation & Upcycling
BS Chem. Eng., UVA
Undergraduates

Max Friedeman
Class of 2024

Khiem Le
Class of 2023

Dheeraj Pedada
Class of 2024

Shirley Gotlieb
Class of 2024

Jack Seiffert
Class of 2023

Grace Shoemaker
Class of 2023 (UF)

Rena So
Class of 2025

Megan Tarr
Class of 2025 (BME)

Jack Werb
Class of 2023

Hanna White
Class of 2025

Mekhi Willaims
Class of 2025

Kayla Wolf
Class of 2025

Suzi Zien
Class of 2023 (Biotechnology)

Chitraksh Bhatt
Class of 2024

Class of 2023
Nick Brennan

Class of 2024
Ian Kang
.jpg)
Zach Dixon
Class of 2025
Lab Alumni

Zhiliang Yang
Postdoctoral Fellow
(2019-20)
Engineering Yeast for Natural Product Biosynthesis
Currently seeking a faculty position.

Weigao Wang
Graduate Student
(2015-21)
Enzyme & Secretion Engineering
Currently a Postdoc at Stanford

Allison Yaguchi
PhD Student
(2014-2020)
Aromatic metabolism in oleaginous yeast
Currently a Postdoc at NREL

Charles Wang
MS Student
(2018-20)
Mammalian Artificial Chromosome
Currently at Unknown

Difeng Gao
Postdoctoral Fellow (2015-18)
Yarrowia Metabolic Engineering
Currently at Biomedican, Inc.

Murri Shabbir Hussain
PhD Student
(2013-2018)
Genetic Tools for Yarrowia
Currently at Abbott Biosciences

Gabriel Rodriguez
Postdoctoral Fellow
(2014-17)
Yarrowia Metabolic Engineering
Currently at Ginkgo Biosciences

A. Nolan Wilson
PhD Student
(2009-14)
Metabolic Modeling
Currently at NREL

Max Hilbert
PhD Student
(2018-2021)
Enzyme Immobilization
Currently at Unknown

Molly Wintenberg
PhD Student
(2016-2022)
Microbial Radiation Biosensors
Currently NRC Fellow at NIST

Mike Spagnuolo
PhD Student
(2015-2022)
Engineering Yeast for Biopolymers
Currently Postdoc in the Blenner Lab

Dyllan Rives
PhD Student
(2016-2022)
ER Stress in CHO Cells
Currently Seeking a Position
Engineering Macronutrients from Plastic
BS Biophysics, Michigan
PhD Biophysics, Michigan

Jason Karslake, PhD
Plastic Waste Upcycling
Currently at Molecular Templates
Postdoc
(2020-2022)

Jyoti Singh, PhD
Postdoc
(2020-2022)
Microbiome Engineering & Plastic Biodegradation
Currently Assistant Professor at