Texas A & M University

Bioremediation & Applied Biotechnology Laboratory

College Station, Texas 77843-3122
 
 
Thomas K. Wood
                                                 His Lab
Professor of Chemical Engineering & Biology
& T. Michael O’Connor II Endowed Chair

Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 1991
B.S.Ch.E., University of Kentucky, 1985

Telephone : (979) 862-1588
FAX: (979) 845-6446
E-mail: thomas.wood@chemail.tamu.edu

Recent News:
  • Dr. Jintae Lee obtained a tenure-track faculty position at Yeungnam University (2009).
  • Editor’s Choice, "Uracil influences quorum sensing and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fluorouracil is an antagonist," A. Ueda, C. Attila, M. Whiteley, and T. K. Wood, Microb. Biotechnol. 2: 62-74 (2009)
  • Featured article, "Indole cell signaling occurs primarily at low temperatures in Escherichia coli," J. Lee, X.-S. Zhang, M. Hegde, W. E. Bentley, A. Jayaraman, and T. K. Wood, The ISME Journal. 2: 1007-1023 (2008).
  • Prof. Wood honored with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Bioengineering Plenary Award (2007)
  • Dr. Toshinari Maeda obtained a tenure-track faculty position at Kyushu Institute of Technology (2007).

  • Dr. Lee, Dr. García-Contreras, and Dr. Zhang obtained the first biofilm protein crystal structure for AriR, formerly YmgB (J. Mol. Biol. 373:11-26, 2007)

  • Dr. Maeda and Miss Sanchez-Torres created the best bacterium for producing hydrogen (Microbial Biotechnol, on-line, 2007)

  • Mr. Attila and Dr. Ueda performed the first rhizosphere microarray study and discover seven virulence genes (Microbial Biotechnol, on-line, 2007)

Science Outreach:

Research Interests:

  • Evolving bidirectional hydrogenases for hydrogen production

  • Discovering the genetic basis of biofilm formation and of plant-derived biofilm inhibitors

  • Evolving both bacterial monooxygenases and dioxygenases for bioremediation and green chemical synthesis (using the combinatorial method of directed evolution)

  • Metabolic engineering of bacteria for the degradation of chlorinated ethenes and other pollutants (e.g., adding glutathione S-transferases and evolved epoxide hydrolases to reduce the toxicity of chlorinated epoxides)

  • Engineering biofilms for corrosion inhibition and other applications

  • Bioremediating chlorinated ethenes and metals using engineered bacteria in the rhizosphere (via poplar root biofilms)

  • Creating a green chemistry approach to remediating metal lubricants using thermophilic bacteria

Other Highlights:

Wood Research Family: