National Science Foundation     |     Directorate for Engineering  (ENG) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, & Transport Systems  (CBET)     Additional Program Information - 1491     Example Areas of Research   Recent Research Highlights Example Areas of Research Nuggets and Research Images Program Director Details The Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering (BBBE) program supports fundamental engineering research and education that advances the understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes and eventually leads to the development of enabling technology and/or applications in support of the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and bioenergy industries, or with applications in health or the environment.  Example projects in these areas are shown below. There are a number of programs within NSF that fund related research areas to those funded by the BBBE program.  For example, the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research and the Biomedical Engineering program in CBET both fund research in the area of stem cell and tissue engineering, though each program has its own unique emphasis.  The Energy for Sustainability and the Catalysis and Biocatalysis programs, within CBET, fund research related to the use of biological processes (metabolic engineering, synthetic biology and biocatalysis) to produce fuels and chemicals. The Networks and Regulation cluster within the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division of the Biology Directorate funds research in systems and synthetic biology.  Principal Investigators are encouraged to contact the Program Directors of the BBBE and the other related programs to determine the best program for their proposal. Listed below are selected Award Achievements and Highlights* that illustrate specific focus areas of this program:                   Focus Area   Fiscal Year   Principal Investigator with Link to Abstract Institution   Simplified Title with Link to Award Achievements & Highlights*                 * Biomass and Biofuels   2011   Papoutsakis, Eleftherios University of Delaware   Coming by Biofuels Naturally                 * Biomass and Biofuels   2009   1. Kelly, Robert North Carolina State University 2. Adams, Michael University of Georgia   Biohydrogen from Plant-based Biomass by High Temperature Microorganisms                 * Biomass and Biofuels   2008   Liao, James University of California- Los Angeles   Non-Fermentative Pathways for Synthesis of Branched-Chain Higher Alcohols as Biofuels                 * Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing   2010   Sharfstein, Susan Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute   GOALI: Antibody Engineering for Improved Productivity                 * Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing   2010   Miller, William Northwestern University   Niche-Inspired Expansion of Megakaryocytic Progenitors with High Polyploidization Potential                 * Cellular Engineering   2009   Marten, Mark U of Maryland Baltimore County   Developing a Better Understanding of Cellular Recycling in Fungi                 * Metabolic Engineering   2009   1. Papoutsakis, Eleftherios Northwestern University 2. Papoutsakis, Eleftherios University of Delaware   Metabolic Engineering of Spore Formation                 * Metabolic Engineering   2008   Chen, Wilfred University of California- Riverside   Engineering Plant-Microbe Symbiosis for Rhizoremediation                 * Protein Design and Engineering   2010   Maranas, Costas Pennsylvania State University University Park   Development of Computational Tools and Experimental Verifications for Protein Design                 * Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering   2011   Rao, Raj Virginia Commonwealth University   Producing Safe Stem Cells                 * Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering   2011   Schmidt, Christine University of Texas at Austin   Understanding Nerve Regeneration                 * Synthetic Biology   2011   Voigt, Christopher University of California- San Francisco   Programming Salmonella to Spin Spider Silk                 * Synthetic Biology   2010   Schmidt-Dannert, Claudia University of Minnesota- Twin Cities   Placeholder                 * Systems Biology   2009   1. Arnold, Jonathan University of Georgia 2. Logan, David Clark Atlanta University 3. Arnold, Jonathan University of Georgia   First Working Model of the Biological Clock                 Top of Page This page was Updated on 7 June 2012.