Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park (1999)

Current Research

• Systems Biology
• Computational Material Design
• Evolutionary Algorithms
• Applied Machine Learning

Professional Activities

Joint Faculty Member: Biomedical Engineering Department, UConn, 2002 – Present
Joint Faculty Member: Multidisciplinary Head & Neck Cancer Program, The Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut Health Center, 2008 – Present
Affiliated Faculty: Environmental Engineering Program, UConn, 2006 – Present
Member: American Chemical Society
Member: American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Member: Society of Biological Engineering
Chair: American Chemical Society Biochemical Technology Division, 2018

Current Research Group

Graduate Students	Undergraduate Students
Nicole Beauregard Christine Endicott Stephen Lincoln Maryam Pardakhti Rebecca Rubinstein Ian Rogers	Ryan Padden

Research Statement

Our research group is interested in all aspects of evolutionary dynamics and its applications. We focus on applying evolutionary dynamics to solve problems in science and engineering, primarily addressing problems systems biology and metabolic engineering. However, we also have a strong interest in understanding the principles underlying evolutionary dynamics.   We have applied evolutionary principles to a wide range of problems through algorithm development and experimental studies.  Examples of problems we have addressed in the biological arena include evolving new mathematical models of biological systems, curating existing models at the genome scale with evolutionary algorithms, and optimizing bioprocessing strategies.   We have also applied these approaches to other disciplines, such as materials science and environmental engineering. To carry out our work, we employ experimental and theoretical tools from chemical engineering, molecular biology, applied mathematics, machine learning, and systems optimization.

Previous Positions

2013 – 2016	Biomolecular Engineering Program Director, Department of Chemical, Materials, & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut
2011 – 2013	Chemical Engineering Program Director, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut
2008 – 2016	Associate Professor of Chemical, Material, Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut
2002 – 2008	Facility Head, Fermentation & Bioprocessing Facility, University of Connecticut
2002 – 2008	Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Connecticut

Select Honors & Awards

2018	Elected Member of the Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering
2017	Inaugural Recipient of the University of Connecticut Family Support Award
2014	Visiting Professor of Biostatistics, Yale University
2013	Inaugural Recipient of the University of Connecticut School of Engineering Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award
2009	Award for Teaching Excellence as Determined by the Students
2007	Office of Naval Research/American Society of Engineering Education Fellow
2004	University of Connecticut Junior Faculty Fellow
2004	Rogers Corporation Outstanding Teaching Award
2000	NIH Post-Doctoral Trainee in Cancer Biology

Recent Publications

Pardakhti M, Jafari T, Tobin Z, Dutta B, Moharreri E, Shemshaki N, Suib S, Srivastava R. (2019) Trends in Solid Adsorbent Materials Development for CO2 Capture.  ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b08487

Moharreri E*, Pardakhti M*, Srivastava R**, Suib S.** (2019) Energy-Geometry Dependency of Molecular Structures: A Multistep Machine Learning Approach.  ACS Combinatorial Science. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscombsci.9b00028

*Contributed equally

** Co-Corresponding Authors

Ribeiro L, Chelius C, Boppidi K, Naik N, Hossain S, Ramsey J, Kumar J, Ribeiro L, Ostermeir M, Tran B, Young A, de Assis L, Ulas M, Bayram O, Goldman G, Lincoln S, Srivastava R, Harris S, Marten M. (2019) Comprehensive analysis of Aspergillus nidulans PKA phosphorylome identifies a novel mode of CreA regulation.  mBio.  https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02825-18