Nicholas Sarai Joins the Lab!

The lab is excited to welcome Nicholas Sarai as the newest member of the lab! He joins us as a postdoc on the plastics team.

Nicholas received his BS in Biochemistry from the University of Denver. After his undergraduate studies he conducted research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with Dr. Yannick Bomble and Dr. Michael Himmel where he studied the repertoire of enzymes capable of degrading lignocellulosic biomass. He also engineered hyperthermophilic organisms and metabolic enzymes to produce biofuels and bioproducts.

Following this, Nicholas moved to Caltech where he completed his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics with Professor Frances Arnold. In the Arnold lab he engineered enzymes for new-to-nature chemistry, with a focus on developing enzymes that can catalyze the degradation of non-biodegradable pollutants.

Now, in the Cochran lab, Nicholas is focused on developing enzymatic catalysts to depolymerize a variety of plastic polymers.

Welcome, Nicholas! We are excited to have you in lab, and we are looking forward to learning from you!