Arnav Deshpande is a postdoctoral researcher in analytical biochemistry and metabolomics at NREL. His research focuses on using metabolomics and metabolic flux analysis to guide algal strain engineering and cultivation in applications such as sustainable aviation fuels and biochemical production in a carbon efficient manner. He graduated with a doctorate in chemical engineering from Purdue University where he was involved in several projects related to sustainable biochemical production in cyanobacteria, plant metabolism, and cancer metabolism.

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Research Interests

Algal biofuels and biochemicals

Metabolic engineering

Metabolomics, flux analysis, and multiomic approaches

Education

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, 2022

B.E., Chemical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, 2017

Professional Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher, NREL (2022–Present)

Research Assistant, Purdue University (2017–2022)

Research Intern, Unilever (2017)

Associations and Memberships

Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Featured Work

Combining Random Mutagenesis and Metabolic Engineering For Enhanced Tryptophan Production in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803, Applied and Environmental Biology (2020)

Cuticle Thickness Affects Dynamics of Volatile Emission From Petunia Flowers, Nature Chemical Biology (2021)

Engineering of Fast Growing Cyanobacteria Synechococcus Elongatus sp. PCC 11801 For Phenylalanine Production, AIChE Annual Meeting (2021)

Keynote: Overproduction of Essential Aromatic Amino Acids in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, AIChE Annual Meeting (2019)

Patents

Synechococcus Elongatus Mutants, Variants and Uses Thereof To Produce An Essential Amino Acid, U.S. Patent App. 17/859,837, (2023)

Awards and Honors

Finalist, Ag-CeleratorTM (2021)

Best Poster in Bioengineering, Purdue Chemical Engineering Symposium (2019)

Third Place Poster Presentation, Purdue Plant Science Symposium (2018)