Huimin Zhao
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Steven L. Miller Chair, Professor, Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Bioengineering; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation; NSF Molecule Maker Lab Institute; NSF iBioFoundry; NSF Global Center for Biofoundry Applications
Biology by Design: From Directed Evolution to Autonomous Experimentation
Monday, May 12, 2026
Abstract
Synthetic biology aims to apply engineering principles to design novel or improved biological systems for a wide range of biotechnological and biomedical applications. However, due to the complexity of biology, it remains an overwhelming challenge to rationally design biological systems with desired features. In this talk, I will reflect my over three-decades of academic journey to tackle this challenge and highlight the paradigm shift from directed evolution to autonomous experimentation. Specifically, I will discuss a few representative case studies, including: (a) design and evolutionary engineering of artificial photoenzymes with new-to-nature reactivity for asymmetric synthesis; (b) development of new artificial intelligence (AI) models for enzyme property prediction, enzyme engineering, and metabolic engineering; and (c) design of an AI-powered self-driving biofoundry for protein engineering, pathway engineering, and metabolic engineering. I envision a future where autonomous experimentation, enabled by seamless integration of synthetic biology, AI, and biofoundry/robotics, accelerates basic and applied biological research for bioeconomy.
Bio
Dr. Huimin Zhao is the Steven L. Miller Chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), director of NSF AI Institute for Molecule Synthesis (moleculemaker.org), NSF iBioFoundry (ibiofoundry.illinois.edu), and NSF Global Center for Biofoundry Applications (gcba.illinois.edu), and Editor in Chief of ACS Synthetic Biology. He received his B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1992 and his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology under the guidance of Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold in 1998. Prior to joining UIUC in 2000, he was a project leader at the Dow Chemical Company. Dr. Zhao has authored and co-authored over 480 research articles and over 30 issued and pending patent applications. In addition, he has given over 550 plenary, keynote, or invited lectures. Forty (40) of his former graduate students and postdocs became professors or principal investigators around the world. Dr. Zhao received numerous research and teaching awards and honors such as ECI Enzyme Engineering Award and NSF CAREER Award. His primary research interests are in the development and applications of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and laboratory automation tools to address society’s most daunting challenges in health, energy, and sustainability.
Past Lectures
2024 SPEAKER
Stacey F. Bent
Stanford University
Vice Provost, Graduate Edu & Postdoc Affairs, Jagdeep & Roshni Singh Professor in the School of Engineering, Professor of Energy Science Eng, Sr Fellow at Precourt & Professor, by courtesy, of Electrical Eng, Materials Sci Eng & Chemistry
Precise Materials Synthesis One Layer at a Time: Toward Catalysis and Energy Storage
2023 SPEAKER
Cato T. Laurencin
University of Connecticut
University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor; CEO of the Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering
Regenerative Engineering: Chemistry and Materials Science in Regeneration
2022 SPEAKER
Zhenan Bao
Stanford University
K.K. Lee Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering; Courtesy Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Director, Stanford Wearable Electronics Initiative (eWEAR)
Skin-Inspired Organic Electronics
2020 SPEAKER
Sharon C. Glotzer
University of Michigan
Anthony C. Lembke Department Chair of Chemical Engineering; Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; John W. Cahn Distinguished University Professor of Engineering; Stuart W. Churchill Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering
Engineering Colloidal Matter, Assembly Pathways and the Entropic Bond
2019 SPEAKER
Gregory Stephanopoulos
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
W. H. Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Engineering Microbes for the Production of Isoprenoid Compounds
2018 SPEAKER
Sang Yup Lee
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering