Undergraduate Student Researcher - Computer Science​/Biological Engineering

Enzymes enable the synthesis of complex molecules because they catalyze selective chemical reactions under mild conditions. Sankar Research Lab develops and tests computational tools capable of proposing synthesis routes (or “recipes”) that primarily use enzyme catalysis to make these complex molecules. Such computational tools would identify ways to cost-efficiently manufacture complex target molecules and would improve our ability to synthesize a diverse library of complex chemical compounds.

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary, highly collaborative research group to discover novel synthesis routes to molecules of interest using Polyketide Synthase enzymes. They will also assist in mining for alternative synthesis pathways to the same molecules using monofunctional enzymes. The candidate will apply novel machine learning methods for synthesis planning. Additionally, the candidate will be a part of a highly collaborative lab and have the opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills through collaborations with talented and dedicated colleagues while advancing your career.

Specific responsibilities will include the following:

• Explore Polyketide Synthase (PKS) engineering strategies and leverage them to generate pathways to new-to-nature molecules using combinatorially designed PKS constructs.
• Assist in the creation of a computer aided synthesis planning tool capable of proposing algorithmically proposed PKS‑specific pathways to target molecules with minimal expert intervention.
• Develop a multi‑modular retrosynthesis planner capable of balancing the tradeoff between Acyltransferase domain substrate specificity and number of modifications made to a wild‑type PKS.
• Assist in the curation and deployment of a dataset of P. putida metabolites to propose PKS pathways starting from naturally found metabolites.
• Explore alternative pathways to produce molecules of interest using monofunctional enzymes, including but not limited to enzymes involved in the Fatty Acid Synthesis pathway.
• Co‑author scientific publications and presentations
• Assist with the creation of Scientific figures using Chemdraw
• Current Undergraduate or Masters Student at Purdue University, studying Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biological Engineering, and/or other related fields.
• Able to work 10 hours/week throughout the semester.