Trinh Lab    
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  Principal Investigator  
 

 

Cong T. Trinh, Ph.D., Professor

Ferguson Faculty Fellow

Postdoc: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UC Berkeley

Ph.D.: Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota

B.S.: Chemical Engineering (summa cum laude, research honors thesis), University of Houston. Minors: Chemistry and Mathematics

Email: ctrinh@utk.edu

 
  Honors/Awards: Faculty Research and Scholarship Achievement Award (2023), Thomas & Ruth Clark Excellence in Chemical Engineering Award (2021); DARPA's Director Fellowship (2019); TCE Teaching Fellow Award (2019); Chancellor Research & Creative Achievement/Professional Promise Award (2018); TCE Professional Promise in Research Award (2018); Ferguson Faculty Fellow (2017), DARPA YFA Award (2017); ASEE New Researcher Award (2017); CBE Outstanding Teaching Award (2017); NSF CAREER Award (2016); Thomas & Ruth Clark Chemical Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award (2016); CoE Professional Promise in Research Award (2016); CBE Outstanding Teaching Award (2014); Professional Development Award (2014).

 

  Researchers  
 

Seunghyun Ryu, PhD, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Research Assistant Professor

Project Coordinator

 

 

 

  Graduate students  
 

David Dooley, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

B.S.: Chemical Engineering, Tennessee Tech University

Project: CRISPR-Cas Antimicrobials and OMICS Integration

 

 

Christopher Cotter, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

B.S.: Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chaper Hill

Project: CRISPR-Cas Antimicrobials and OMICS Integration

 

 

 

Carrie Sanford, Energy Science and Engineering

M.S.: Biological and Argicultural Engineering, NCSU

Project: Modular Cell Engineering

 

 

 

Galib Khan, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

B.S.: Chemical Engineering, BUET, Bangledesh

Project: Modular Cell Engineeering

 

 

 

  Rotation Graduate Students  
 

Fall 2023

 

 

Jordan Pyron, Genome Science and Technology

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

 

 

Fall 2023

 

Nathan Gladden, Genome Science and Technology

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

 

  Postbaccalaureate Research Associates  
 

Khanh Ha, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Project: Modular Cell Engineering

 

 

  Undergraduate students  
 

Grant Trivette, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Project: Modular Cell Engineering

 

 

Hannah Boyd, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

 

 

 

Fall 2023-present

 

 

 

Jacob Prusha, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

 

 

 

Spring 2024-present

 

 

 

Avi Patel, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

 

 

 

  Alumni  
 

Postdoctoral researchers

Dr. Narayan Niraula (postdoc; 2012-2014; scientist @ Pfizer Inc.)

Dr. Adam Thompson (postdoc; 2016; scientist @Lanzatech Inc.)

Dr. Donovan Layton (postdoc; 2016-2017; scientist @Ginkgo Bioworks)

Dr. Charles Phillips (postdoc; 2017-2018)

Dr. Seunghyun Ryu (postdoc; 2013-2019; scientist @CJ Research Center, Boston, MA)

Dr. Xianliang (Nic) Zheng (postdoc; 2018-2019; scientist @Angel Yeast Co., LTD, China)

Dr. Md Golam Mostofa (postdoc; 2018-2019)

Dr. Jong-Won Lee (postdoc; 2021; scientist @CutisBio, Korea)

Dr. Brian Mendoza (scientist, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2020-2021; scientist @Aether, CA)

Dr. Caleb Walker (postdoc, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2021; scientist @ Cellibre at San Diego, CA)

Dr. Hyeongmin Seo (postdoc, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2021; postdoctoral researcher at University of Delaware)

Dr. Ranti Dev (postdoc, 2022)

 
 

Graduate students

David Flowers (Masters, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2011-2012; PhD at MIT; scientist @ Applied BioMath, MA)

Michael Wierzbicki (Masters, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2011-2013; engineer @AdvanSix, Hopewell, VA)

Andrew Kirkpatrick (Masters, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2015-2016; scientist@ 490 BioTech, Knoxville, TN)

Adam Thompson (Ph.D., Energy Science and Engineering; 2011-2016; scientist @Lanzatech Inc., Chicago, IL)

Donovan Layton (Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2011-2016; scientist @Ginkgo Bioworks, CA)

John Caruthers (Masters, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2018-2019; engineer @Astrazeneca)

Brian Mendoza (Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2014-2020; scientist @Ether, CA)

Sergio Garcia (Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2015-2020)

Jong-Won Lee (Ph.D., Energy Science and Engineering; 2015-2020; scientist @CutisBio, Korea)

William Khomtchenko (Masters, CBE, UT; 2019-2021)

Caleb Walker (Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2014-2021; scientist @Cellibre at San Diego, CA)

Hyeongmin Seo (Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2016-2021; postdoctoral researcher at University of Delaware)

Bindica Poudel (Masters, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2020-2022)

Rotation graduate students

Yan Liu (CBE; 2013-2014)

Matthew Entler (GST; 2015-2016)

John George (ESE; 2017-2018)

Rebecca O’Toole (ESE; 2018)

Ali Al-Najada (CBE, 2019-2020)

Naintai Li (CBE; 2019-2022)

Emily Smith (GST; 2020)

Ben Nordick (GST; 2020)

Meagan Adler (CBE; 2022-2023)

Laura Brady (CBE; 2022-2023)

Jordan Pyron (GST, 2023)

Nathan Gladden (GST, 2023)

Visiting graduate students

Lorenzo Briganti (visiting master student, Microbiology, Brazil; 2012)

Paulo Avila (visiting PhD student, Microbiology, Brazil; 2012)

 
 

Undergraduate students

Kevin Spellman (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UTK; 2011)

Genesis Minter (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; 2011-2012)

Katie Lutes (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2011-2012)

Chris Ludtka (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2012)

Akshitha Yarrabothula (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2011-2013; M.D. at New York Medical College)

Patrick Caveney (Biomedical Engineering, UT; 2013; PhD in Energy Science and Engineering at UT)

Ivan Geigerman (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2013; engineer at Ethicon Johnson & Johnson, Athens, Georgia)

Sergio Garcia (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2014; PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UT)

Julie Hipp (B.S., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2012-2015; PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Delaware; scientist @Protor & Gamble Corp.)

D.J. Conner (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2013-2015; M.D. at Wake Forest School of Medicine at North Carolina)

Andrew Kirkpatrick (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2014-2015; engineer at 490 BioTech, Knoxville, TN)

Mathias Lanteli (visiting student, Biotechnology, The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, 2015)

Jordan Leith (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2016)

Sterling Kolar (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2016)

Rebecka Stockgard (visiting student, Biotechnology, The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, 2016)

Chachthida (Junie) Sukttjavanich (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2016)

Brandon Wilbanks (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2012-2017; pursuing PhD at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, MN)

Abby Link (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2017)

Neel Patel (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2016-2017)

Jay Patel (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2017)

Ralph Lauren (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2018)

Matt Kubis (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2016-2018, pursuing PhD at Dartmouth College)

Katherine Krouse (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2017-2018, engineerr @Inscripta, CO)

Jared Clements (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2017-2018, pursuing medical school at University of Tennessee, Memphis)

David Arellano (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2018)

Alisha Chapman (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2018)

Lauren McCloud (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 08/2018-12/2018)

Samantha Karklins (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 08/2018-03/2019)

Dylan Chitin (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2017-2018; pursuing PhD at Clemson U)

Daniel Faradji (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2018-2019)

Timothy Player (Computer Science, UT; 2019)

Josh Herman (Computer Science, UT; 2019-2020)

Caleb Young (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2019-2020)

Greg Cantrall (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2018-2020; pursuing PhD at UTK)

Preston Nicely (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2018-2020; pursuing medical school at Brown University)

Noah Dunlap (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2018-2020)

John Hill (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UT; 2019-2020; pursuing PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at University of Delaware)

Abhi Ravi (EECS, UT; 2019-2020)

Kentrall Patton (BCMB, UT; 2020-2020)

Marina I. Vlasyuk (CBE, UT; 2020-2021)

Tanner Fry (EECS, UT; 2019-2021)

Anthony Hueber (CBE, UT; 2021-2021)

Kishan Tailor (EECS, UT; 2020-2021; pursuing M.S. at Cornell)

Jessie Li (CBE, UT; 2020-2021)

Nathaniel Blablock (CBE, UT; 2021-2022; pursuing PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Gillian Castro (CBE, UT; 2020-2022)

Kishore Owusu (Biology, Intern from Cheney U of Penn; 2022)

Haley Aponte (Biology, Intern from U of Mass; 2022)

Sam Cohen (CBE, UT; 2021-2023)

Daniel Haught (CBE, UT; 2022-2023; pursuing PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at U of Delaware)

Carrina Tran (Environ Eng, Intern from Arizona State U; 2023)

Victoria Rogers (CBE, UT, 2021-2023)

 

Sofware Developers

Tanner Fry (Masters, EECS, 2021)

Stephen Kelley (MABE, 2021-2022)

Technicians

Maggie Sumner (Technician; 2018)

Hannah Rauhuff (Technician; 2020-2022)

 

High-school students

Brandon Wilbanks (Powel high school; 2012-2013; B.S in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UTK; pursuing PhD at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, MN)

Sabrina Collins (Gibbs high school, 2013)

 

  Updated on 03.06.2024