Lightning Lecture – Dr Duygu Dikicioglu
Metabolic Complementarity & AI in Plastic Degradation: A Tale of Two Communities
Location: IOE Bedford Way, Room 826
Date & Time: Monday 27 October 2025, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Description:
Our second Lightning Lecture brings you an unmissable talk from Dr Duygu Dikicioglu, Associate Professor in Biochemical Engineering at UCL, whose work sits at the exciting intersection of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and sustainable bioprocessing.
In this talk, “Role of metabolic complementarity in functional enhancement for plastic degradation: A tale of two communities,” Dr Dikicioglu will explore how digital optimisation and metabolic modelling can help design microbial communities that cooperate—rather than compete—to tackle one of the planet’s biggest challenges: plastic waste.
Plastic degradation is notoriously inefficient in nature because no single organism can digest all the diverse chemical bonds within synthetic polymers. Duygu’s research focuses on metabolic complementarity—the idea that multiple microbial species can share and divide biochemical labour, each performing part of a degradation pathway. By coupling systems biology, machine learning, and metabolic network analysis, her team identifies the optimal combinations of microbes that collectively break down plastics faster and more completely than any single strain could manage.
Her approach reflects a broader movement toward AI-driven biotechnology, where data and algorithms accelerate discovery, improve process performance, and pave the way for a circular bio-economy.
A bit about our speaker:
- Dr Duygu Dikicioglu is Associate Professor of Digital Bioprocessing and Systems Biology in the Department of Biochemical Engineering at UCL.
- She leads the Smart Biosystems & Bioprocesses research group, specialising in in silico modelling, omics-driven optimisation, and computational frameworks that bridge biology with data science.
- Her research spans microbial metabolism, process optimisation, and sustainable biomanufacturing.
- She has collaborated with major biopharma and industrial partners to implement digital tools in process design and control.
- A number of her past students have gone on to roles in cutting-edge AI and HealthTech research—one now works as an AI researcher at NVIDIA.
This session is perfect for anyone curious about how AI can supercharge biological engineering—from plastic degradation and waste valorisation to next-gen sustainable bioprocesses.
When & Where Recap:
📍 IOE Bedford Way, Room 826
🗓️ Monday 27 October 2025, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
💥 Free Entry – No registration required
Come along, bring your curiosity (and maybe a coffee), and see how digital bioprocessing is reshaping the future of biotechnology.