Exploring Biological Pathways for Carbon Recycling

Professor Ludmilla Aristilde spent her academic leave during winter and spring quarters (January – June 2022) in Germany as a Bessel Research Award fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (link https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/). The Humboldt fellowship program is highly selective, honoring annually scholars from around the world selected based on their academic achievements and contributions to their fields. Prof. Aristilde was chosen based on her contribution to environmental biochemistry and bioengineering using her metabolomics approaches for high-resolution chemical fingerprinting of cellular metabolism in soil bacteria relevant to biotechnology. A unique aspect of the Humboldt research award, penned by the emblem “Humboldtians for life”, is the lifetime opportunity for the honorees to return to Germany to foster lasting collaborations. For this academic leave, Prof Aristilde was hosted by Prof. Largus (Lars) Angenent at the University of Tübingen to collaborate on his pioneering work using bacteria and industrial carbon wastes for carbon chain elongation. 

Carbon chain elongation provides a sustainable means to recover waste carbons and generate products of value for the chemical industry. Prof. Aristilde worked on several projects in the Angenent Lab to explore the application of her expertise in carbon metabolism to unravel the biochemical pathways responsible for the biosynthesis of carbon chain molecules. Prof. Aristilde and Prof. Angenent plan to continue these collaborative efforts toward advancing sustainable carbon recycling.
In her spare time, Prof. Aristilde enjoyed hiking and biking, exploring the beautiful landscapes of Germany, and learning about the culture.