Email: cms12 [at] rice.edu
January 2011 – Present
Research
I am interested in making synthetic biology and genetic modification simpler for researchers and industry. This field will be coming into its own as our understanding of genetics matures. The ability to customize what cells produce will lead to transformations in the fields of medicine and biofuels production, making the manufacturing process more efficient. My previous work made a genetic circuit that will make working with multiple plasmids easier by reducing the number of antibiotics needed for plasmid maintenance. This will allow multi-plasmid networks to be used in batch reactors without the expense of extra antibiotics. This will be needed as genetic circuits grow larger and more complex. My current work is focused on developing circuits that function across organisms.
Background
Bachelor of Science: Biochemistry and Cell Biology – Rice University
Undergraduate Researcher: Dr. Matthew Bennett Lab – Rice
Summer Researcher: Dr. James Golden Lab – UCSD
Publications
1. C. M. Schmidt, D. L. Shis, T. D. Nguyen-Huu & M. R. Bennett, "Stable maintenance of multiple plasmids in E. coli using a single selective marker." ACS Synthetic Biology 1 (10), 445-450 (2012).
