Effendi Leonard

BS University at Buffalo
PhD program

“I have been having a great time here. My advisor gave me his trust to explore. The research material here is very well related to the real world.”

Effendi is working in the area of metabolic engineering, trying to construct microbial "factories" to produce chemicals that can be beneficial to human health. His current project uses genetically modified E-coli to produce flavinoids: his group is seeking to engineer a process that works, to find the right enzymes to regulate the process, and to optimize the enzyme effect through protein engineering.

In 2004, Effendi spent the summer working in a German lab that is collaborating with his lab in Buffalo. His short-term plan after he finishes his degree is to find a the right post-doctoral position, then to work in industry.