Dr. Young received a $1.5 million grant to take a systems biology approach to identify how cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can be engineered to produce large amounts of lipids in the form of free fatty acids. Dr. Young will lead a team and colaborate with Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences Carl Johnson and Stevenson Professor and Department Chair of Chemistry John McLean at Vanderbilt University; Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Brian Pfleger at University of Wisconsin-Madison; and USDA research scientist Doug Allen and Director of Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility Bradley Evans at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center,

More details found: https://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/news/2021/1-5m-doe-grant-targets-engineering-of-cyanobacteria-as-biofuel-production-platform/