The Thyer Lab is part of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University.
Welcome to the Thyer Lab! Our research combines synthetic biology, protein and strain engineering and molecular programming to expand nature’s capabilities and tackle some of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. While all biomolecules are fair game, we have three main areas of research: (1) using expanded genetic codes to develop new therapeutics, (2) building genetic circuitry and high-throughput selections to engineer biosynthesis pathways and industrial biocatalysts, and (3) developing novel microbial systems for bioremediation or biorecovery of persistent environmental pollutants. These projects are built around a core set of technologies including structure-based deep learning, modular DNA assembly, genome editing, directed evolution and protein design. In addition to our main research areas, technology development is also a key part of our process. We constantly refine and optimize our bioinformatics pipeline and high-throughput selection techniques (and invent new ones when necessary) to improve our ability to customize biology.
