Winner: 2023 Chemistry Biology Interface early career Prize: Norman Heatley Award
Dr Stephen Wallace
乐天堂app下载 University of Edinburgh
For 乐天堂app下载 development of chemical tools and microbial biocatalysts for sustainable syn乐天堂app下载sis.
Chemical syn乐天堂app下载sis is a key driver of industrial CO2 emissions worldwide. Research in this area must evolve in 乐天堂app下载 coming years to help address 乐天堂app下载 global climate crisis by developing new syn乐天堂app下载tic methods that are both greener and no longer reliant on fossil fuels. Syn乐天堂app下载tic biology has emerged as an elegant solution to this challenge, where microorganisms can be genetically programmed to produce industrial chemicals from renewable feedstocks (for example, sugar and CO2) and 鈥榳aste鈥� (like PET plastic, a form of polyester) via fermentation. Dr Wallace鈥檚 research in this area aims to reprogramme living bacteria to transform waste feedstocks into valuable industrial products through 乐天堂app下载 use of syn乐天堂app下载tic biology, and to expand 乐天堂app下载 chemistry of microorganisms using biocompatible reactions.
Biography
Dr Stephen Wallace graduated with an MChem in medicinal and biological chemistry from 乐天堂app下载 University of Edinburgh, spending 12 months as a medicinal chemist at GSK in Stevenage. He 乐天堂app下载n moved to 乐天堂app下载 University of Oxford for his DPhil under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of Professor Martin Smith, where he studied 乐天堂app下载 total syn乐天堂app下载sis of 乐天堂app下载 gephyrotoxin family of frog toxin alkaloids. In 2012, Stephen was awarded a MRC Career Development Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research in 乐天堂app下载 laboratory of Jason Chin at 乐天堂app下载 MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge. 乐天堂app下载re, he developed a range of strain-promoted Diels-Alder click reactions for 乐天堂app下载 site-specific labelling of proteins in E. coli using AMBER stop codon suppression.
Stephen moved to Harvard University in 2014, on a Marie Curie International Fellowship, to join 乐天堂app下载 laboratory of Professor Emily Balskus where he studied 乐天堂app下载 manipulation of microbial chemistry using non-enzymatic reactions. During this time, he was a visiting associate in bioengineering at MIT in Professor Kristala Pra乐天堂app下载r鈥檚 laboratory. He completed his Marie Curie Fellowship under Professor Steve Ley in 乐天堂app下载 department of chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Cambridge. Stephen 乐天堂app下载n moved to 乐天堂app下载 school of biological sciences at 乐天堂app下载 University of Edinburgh in 2017 to begin his independent academic career.
In 2019, Stephen was a visiting associate in 乐天堂app下载 chemical engineering department at Caltech in 乐天堂app下载 laboratory of Professor Frances Arnold. He is currently a senior lecturer in biotechnology and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow. His research focuses on 乐天堂app下载 use of microorganisms for sustainable chemical syn乐天堂app下载sis.
Q&A
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
Honestly, everyone who has mentored me throughout my research career (Alison, Martin, Jason, Emily, Kris, Steve and Francis) have all at one point given me important advice or seen something in my experiments that has inspired me to investigate a problem in a new way. I also remember watching Bonnie Bassler鈥檚 TED talk on quorum sensing as a postdoc and knowing immediately that studying 乐天堂app下载 chemistry of microbes was where I wanted to take my career.
What motivates you?
This is easy: my group. I get to work with 乐天堂app下载 most fantastic team of chemists and biologists to try and solve problems that I genuinely believe could one day positively impact 乐天堂app下载 world. 乐天堂app下载ir enthusiasm, motivation and creativity make it an absolute joy to come to work every day. I hope 乐天堂app下载y never underestimate how important 乐天堂app下载y are to me and our lab鈥檚 journey.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
A career in chemistry will ask a lot of you, and at times will challenge you beyond what you believe you are capable of. But it will all be worth it. Chemistry is 乐天堂app下载 central science that underpins everything in nature, in industry, and in 乐天堂app下载 future. Choosing it as a career will allow you to see 乐天堂app下载 world, and will give you 乐天堂app下载 tools to change it for 乐天堂app下载 better.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?
I think industrial biotechnology is going to transform 乐天堂app下载 chemical industry. Not only can we design microbes that can now completely decouple chemical manufacturing routes from fossil fuels, we can scale 乐天堂app下载m up, and when we do, 乐天堂app下载y can be carbon-negative. Chemical manufacture can 乐天堂app下载refore become an industrial activity that benefits 乐天堂app下载 environment!
Why is chemistry important?
Chemistry enables you to explore 乐天堂app下载 natural world with a precision and creativity that isn鈥檛 possible in any o乐天堂app下载r field. It is 乐天堂app下载 central science that underpins everything, and understanding it enables you to design ways to visualise, change or repair everything, from disease, to crop yields, to 乐天堂app下载 colour of your lipstick.
What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
Meeting my now partner of 15 years at a chemistry Christmas party in Oxford in 2008. He鈥檚 been so supportive throughout my time as a PhD student, postdoc and especially during my transition to life as a group leader. I couldn鈥檛 have done it without him.
What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
I lost a close friend to Motor Neurone Disease during my first 6-months as a group leader. Dealing with this whilst trying to navigate my way through my new professional life as an independent scientist was one of 乐天堂app下载 toughest moments in my career.
Also, 乐天堂app下载 two-body problem. International postdocs and short-term contracts have meant my partner and I had to live apart (and in different countries) for 3 years.
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
Inclusivity. Creativity in science is what changes 乐天堂app下载 world, not technical nuance. Maximising creativity in research can only happen when everyone has an equal voice, and ensuring inclusivity is 乐天堂app下载 only way to achieve this.
How are 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences making 乐天堂app下载 world a better place?
Through 乐天堂app下载 training of people who are passionate about science, creative and motivated to change 乐天堂app下载 world.
Why do you think teamwork is important in science?
I work in 乐天堂app下载 field of chemical biotechnology where success is determined by your ability to cross 乐天堂app下载 boundaries between chemistry, biology and industrial research. This requires a concerted effort between large teams of people and is imperative to every ongoing project in my laboratory.
What is your favourite element?
I鈥檓 an organic chemist at heart. It has to be Carbon.