Cells are inherently electrical in nature. They control the movement of ions, electrons, and protons and use these movements to extract and conserve energy from their environment, control molecular reactions, and for multicellular communication. We program biomolecules to control how electrons flow within metabolic circuits in living cells and between cells living in multicellular communities. Specifically, we combine synthetic biology, high-throughput protein engineering, and functional screens to generate new bioelectronic components with tunable functions as catalysts and sensors.

We build living electronic devices by interfacing engineered cells and biomolecules with electroactive materials allowing for electrical measurements and control of cellular functions. Cellular communication can offer greater efficency, regulation, and accuracy than information processing in electronic devices. Specifically, we are coupling electrochemical devices with biological components to enable applications in sensing, computation, and catalysis that can be used for environmental monitoring and sustainable biosynthesis.

In nature, microbial trophic networks drive elemental cycles by altering the redox states and mineralization rates of elements in the environment. The structure of these networks can have impacts on ecosystem resiliance and pollution remediation in both natural and built environments. Some microbes are capable of exchanging electrons directly with insoluble materials or other cells in their environment. We are studying how these electron exchanges can be used to control microbial community structure and geochemical cycles. Specically, we are investigating how multicellular cable bacteria that transport electrons at centimeter length-scales can be used as ecosystem engineers to restructure communities and alter carbon fluxes and the degradation of pollutants.