Sim Research Group at UC Irvine
The Sim lab bridges chemical principles across multiple length scales and tackles challenges at the interface of macromolecular chemistry, bioengineering, and materials science
The Sim lab develops a new kind of matter by harnessing engineered living microbes as an embedded intelligence operating within polymeric materials. Immobilized microbial cells and spores perform engineered tasks in polymeric or proteinaceous scaffolds.
Our long-term vision is to develop a platform technology to produce intelligent biomaterials equipped with desired functions (i.e., drug synthesis, complex sensing capabilities, enzymatic catalysis). The immediate and long-term outcomes of our research endeavor will be (1) a foundation of interdisciplinary knowledge and techniques in microbiology, polymer chemistry, and materials science, (2) the fundamental knowledge in the interfacing of microbial cells and synthetic materials with 3-dimensional spatial context, and (3) functional biomaterials directly contributing to human health and sustainability.
Join the team!
We’re looking for highly-motivated, creative, dedicated graduate students, undergraduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. For more information, see the Contact–Opportunities tab. Prospective students and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to contact Seu via email (link below).