Hello! I’m Trent, a proud San Diego native and Senior Research Associate specializing in enzyme engineering and high-throughput cloning. With a Bachelor of Science in Biology focused on Cellular and Molecular Biology from San Diego State University, I bring a solid foundation in molecular techniques and a passion for innovation in biochemistry.In my current role at Geno, I enhance project pathway enzymes by designing mutagenesis libraries utilizing protein modeling software, historical data, and literature. I develop enzyme assays to identify improved features and leverage automated robots to efficiently set up and screen thousands of enzyme variants. I then purify and characterize promising hits, which I present to the strain team for integration. In addition, I conduct in vitro assays on fermentation and quantitative small scale pellets to understand how these enzyme variants perform in an integrated context. Previously, I honed my skills in plasmid construction and cloning, managing hundreds of plasmid requests and evolving our plasmid inventory for automation compatibility. My early experiences as a lab assistant and undergraduate researcher provided me with a comprehensive understanding of laboratory operations and experimental design.I am passionate about contributing to groundbreaking research that pushes the boundaries of enzyme applications and biotechnology. I thrive in collaborative environments and am always eager to embrace new challenges in the field.