Join us for “Interdisciplinary Engineering Innovations for a Sustainable Future” a keynote presentation by Dr. Susie Dai, College of Engineering-Chemical & Biomedical, MizzouForward faculty candidate.  Dr. Dai will present on her research for approximately 40-minutes with a 20-minute question and answer session to follow.

Dr. Susie Dai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology and Program of Bioenvironmental Sciences at Texas A&M University. She holds joint faculty appointments at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at TAMU and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Iowa. She also serves as the Biomonitoring Director at the State Hygienic Laboratory. Between 2016 and 2019, Dr. Dai served as the Associate Director of the State Hygienic Laboratory, the state public health agency with over 200 employees and a $25 million budget. She also directed the Environmental Health Division, which has more than 80 workers, and held joint appointments at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Iowa. Before 2016, Dr. Dai served as a Research Assistant and Associate Professor jointly between the Office of the State Chemist and the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Texas A&M University since 2008. Dr. Dai had her postdoc training at Oak Ridge National Lab’s Organic and Biological Mass Spectrometry Group and Scripps Florida’s Department of Molecular Therapeutics. Dr. Dai obtained her Ph.D. from Duke University in 2006 and B.S. from Fudan University in 2001. Dr. Dai’s unique cross-discipline career path has empowered her to lead major interdisciplinary initiatives, where she integrates biological, chemical, and material design to advance innovative integrated systems for sustainable synthesis of fuels, chemicals, materials, and food, as well as for efficient remediation of persistent organic pollutants like PFAS, microplastics, and others in an environmentally friendly way. Furthermore, Dr. Dai integrates environmental monitoring, chemometrics, behavioral sciences, and community engagement to achieve science-driven environmental hazard mitigation. In the past five years, Dr. Dai has led several major interdisciplinary grants from NIH (R01), DOE EERE, DOE NETL/FEMC, CDC, NSF, and others, totaling over $10 Million, to advance the scientific frontiers and transform underprivileged communities. Dr. Dai has published over 50 publications in renowned journals like Chem (Impact Factor: 25.8, highest in chemistry discipline), Nature Communications (Impact Factor: 16.6), PNAS (Impact Factor: 11.1), Angewandte Chemie (Impact Factor: 16.6), Matter (Impact Factor: 18.9), and others. Dr. Dai has been recognized with the Vice Chancellor’s Outstanding Research Junior Faculty Award at Texas A&M University in 2023.

Dr. Dai’s research focuses on advancing interdisciplinary innovations that are important for the sustainability of our society. In particular, Dr. Dai combines biological, chemical, and material engineering to design integrated systems for sustainable synthesis and environmentally friendly remediation. First, Dr. Dai has pioneered the development of the new electro-bioconversion platform, leveraging biocompatible two-carbon and three-carbon intermediates from electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction Reaction (CO₂RR) to drive high efficiency and kinetics of CO₂ conversion into materials, food, and chemicals. Dr. Dai proved that the unique integration of electrocatalysis and bioconversion through biocompatible intermediates could convert CO₂ to bioplastics at a much higher rate and efficiency than natural photosynthesis and previous platforms. This work has opened new avenues to use low-cost renewable electrons to drive decarbonization and to manufacture chemicals, fuels, food, and materials with an efficiency much higher than plants and algae, providing an effective way to replace petrochemical products. Therefore, the new technology can empower the circular economy to address the fundamental limits on the sustainable development of human society. Second, Dr. Dai has integrated innovative biomimetic material design, chemical surface modification, and biological process engineering to achieve efficient and environmentally friendly removal and remediation of PFAS and microplastics, along with other persistent organic contaminants. Her research is also revealing novel mechanisms for PFAS bioremediation. Third, Dr. Dai has improved environmental monitoring efficiency and promoted environmental health in vulnerable communities through biomonitoring, data-driven surveillance, and behavioral-driven engineering intervention. Dr. Dai’s research aims to overcome the economic, environmental, and societal challenges for sustainability in a holistic and transformative way.

You can access Dr. Dai’s CV via OneDrive here:

 Curriculum Vitae_Susie Dai 02272024.pdf  (University log in required to access)

After the keynote, please provide candidate feedback with our brief survey.