Shishir Chundawat

Research in our group is focused broadly on understanding the biosynthesis, chemical processing, ultrastructural/molecular organization and enzymatic deconstruction of glycans (i.e., carbohydrates), glycan-based macromolecules (e.g., glycoproteins), and glycan-enriched biomaterials (e.g., plant cell walls).Glycans are compounds composed of monosaccharides linked together by glycosidic bonds. These compounds are one of the primary macromolecules produced by living systems that serve critical structural (e.g., cell wall polysaccharides like cellulose, exopolysaccharides present within biofilm matrices) and functional (e.g., cellular recognition and intra-cellular signaling) roles. The ubiquitous nature of glycans can be gaged by its diverse roles in the biological world ranging from inter-/intra-cellular interactions to the capture of solar energy by plant cells as carbohydrates. However, despite significant advances in the genomics and proteomics fields that have improved scientific understanding and engineering of cellular systems, research in glycosciences has lagged behind. This is unfortunate considering that advances in glycosciences can make tremendous contributions to diverse fields such as bioenergy, healthcare, and advanced biomaterials. Research in our group is therefore geared towards addressing open-problems in the highly inter-disciplinary field of glyco-sciences and glyco-engineering. Towards that goal, research projects are organized into three key areas, as highlighted below;

1. Biomass Process Engineering
2. Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme (CAZyme) Engineering
3. Glyco-Engineering