People

Nima Hajinajaf is currently a PhD candidate in chemical engineering at Arizona State University working on the metabolic engineering of bacteria, predominantly Cyanobacteria, for the production of biochemicals. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in chemical engineering from the Petroleum University of Technology, Iran (2015) and the University of Tehran, Iran (2018), respectively. As an M.Sc. student, while his focus was on wastewater treatment and CO₂ biofixation by microalgae, he became interested in smart fluids with a special focus on magnetorheological fluids. His research interests are metabolic & genetic engineering of microbes, microbial bioprocess, water and wastewater treatment, biofuel, and smart fluids. In his free time, he goes hiking, plays guitar, or workout.

Nandini Kannoju is a Ph.D. student in Varman’s Lab. She received her master’s degree from IIT-Kharagpur, India and her Bachelor’s degree from Osmania University, India. Currently, she is working on metabolic engineering the cyanobacteria to produce biochemicals. In her free time, she likes to do handicrafts, play volleyball, and spend time cooking.

Arren Liu is currently a 4th year Ph.D. student in Arizona State University’s Biological Design Doctoral Program, in the School of Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy. He received his Bachelor of Sciences degree from Purdue University in Genetics with a minor in Biotechnology. Arren is co-advised by Dr. Arul Varman and Dr. David Nielsen, where he conducts systems and synthetic biology research. Arren’s research specifically focuses on the metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum for the enhanced biosynthesis of chemicals that have pharmaceutical applications. In his free time, Arren not only runs fermentation experiments in lab but also at home.

Research Interest: Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, Genetics Engineering, CRISPR Proteins.
Biography: Sumant is currently pursuing a Master’s Student in Chemical Engineering. He is working with cyanobacteria to produce and improve biomass production. He is currently working on projects related to the photosynthetic ability of cyanobacteria and improving biomass production through gene expression. He will graduate in Spring 2024 and is inclined towards pursuing a PhD program. He would like to work on projects related to CRISPR proteins and their further application in gene editing. Outside of the lab he likes to play soccer, listen to music and hike.

Jackson is currently a chemical engineering senior undergraduate student in the 4+1 program. His research involves genetic engineering of cyanobacteria to increase photosynthetic efficiency and produce high value chemicals. He has a passion for research and has been a wonderful addition to our team. We strongly recommend Jackson for graduate school as a proud member of the Varman Lab.

Achievements: Phelps dodge scholarship, NSF-IRES fellowship

Nandini Kannoju is a Ph.D. student in Varman’s Lab. She received her master’s degree from IIT-Kharagpur, India and her Bachelor’s degree from Osmania University, India. Currently, she is working on metabolic engineering the cyanobacteria to produce biochemicals. In her free time, she likes to do handicrafts, play volleyball, and spend time cooking.

Engineering Corynebacterium glutamicum to Optimize Flavonoid Production

I’m an undergraduate student pursuing in chemical engineering. I am currently a member of a research lab with Dr Varman that genetically modifies cyanobacteria.

Engineering Cyanobacteria for various chemical production.

Dean list for 2023

Nandini Kannoju is a Ph.D. student in Varman’s Lab. She received her master’s degree from IIT-Kharagpur, India and her Bachelor’s degree from Osmania University, India. Currently, she is working on metabolic engineering the cyanobacteria to produce biochemicals. In her free time, she likes to do handicrafts, play volleyball, and spend time cooking.

My research aims to create a glucose-induced promoter inside bacteria that can encode targeted proteins. In return, this will be beneficial to type one diabetics as a cost-efficient way to deliver insulin.

Research Interest: Microbiology and molecular biology

Biography: I’m a rising high school senior from Charlotte, NC who’s aspiring to work in the STEM field. I’m very passionate about analyzing different microscopic organisms and their uses for humanity. So far, I’ve written 5 research-based essays on topics ranging from robots in healthcare to analyzing the education system in Pakistan. The exposure to ASU’s synthetic biology lab assured me that I’ll be focusing on medicinal biology research and surrounding areas in my undergraduate and graduate studies.  

Achievements: Atrium Health Patch Scholar, AP Scholar with distinction, 1st place in the 24 Math Competition