Justin Buck, PhD
Teaching Highlights
I believe strongly that we learn the fastest and gain the greatest understanding by doing. We must integrate the proper hands-on, exploratory experiences in the lab to complement and reinforce theory.
Dr. Buck is a “Busineerist” (Businessman + Engineer + Scientist = Busineerist™); he is a life-long entrepreneur, engineer by training, and a scientist by [fortunate] accident. Justin received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and his PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT.
Teaching
I believe strongly that we learn the fastest and gain the greatest understanding by doing. Traditional STEM degree programs have excelled at teaching the theory but have often come up short at the real-world practical experience. While the theoretical background is necessary for the engineering discipline, it is not sufficient for training truly exceptional engineers. We must integrate the proper hands-on, exploratory experiences in the laboratory to complement and reinforce the theory taught in the classroom.
Research Interests
The application areas of my research interests remain in the intersection of energy, chemical production, water, environment and biology. I believe in using the principles of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to design and control living production systems. I am also interested in the interactions of light with biological systems, including phototrophy and optogenetics.