Winner: 2023 Chemistry Biology Interface early career Prize: Norman Heatley Award
Dr Stephen Wallace
University of Edinburgh
For the development of chemical tools and microbial biocatalysts for sustainable synthesis.
Chemical synthesis is a key driver of industrial CO2 emissions worldwide. Research in this area must evolve in the coming years to help address the global climate crisis by developing new synthetic methods that are both greener and no longer reliant on fossil fuels. Synthetic biology has emerged as an elegant solution to this challenge, where microorganisms can be genetically programmed to produce industrial chemicals from renewable feedstocks (for example, sugar and CO2) and ‘waste’ (like PET plastic, a form of polyester) via fermentation. Dr Wallace’s research in this area aims to reprogramme living bacteria to transform waste feedstocks into valuable industrial products through the use of synthetic biology, and to expand the chemistry of microorganisms using biocompatible reactions.
Biography
Dr Stephen Wallace graduated with an MChem in medicinal and biological chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, spending 12 months as a medicinal chemist at GSK in Stevenage. He then moved to the University of Oxford for his DPhil under the supervision of Professor Martin Smith, where he studied the total synthesis of the gephyrotoxin family of frog toxin alkaloids. In 2012, Stephen was awarded a MRC Career Development Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Jason Chin at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge. There, he developed a range of strain-promoted Diels-Alder click reactions for the site-specific labelling of proteins in E. coli using AMBER stop codon suppression.
Stephen moved to Harvard University in 2014, on a Marie Curie International Fellowship, to join the laboratory of Professor Emily Balskus where he studied the manipulation of microbial chemistry using non-enzymatic reactions. During this time, he was a visiting associate in bioengineering at MIT in Professor Kristala Prather’s laboratory. He completed his Marie Curie Fellowship under Professor Steve Ley in the department of chemistry at the University of Cambridge. Stephen then moved to the school of biological sciences at the University of Edinburgh in 2017 to begin his independent academic career.
In 2019, Stephen was a visiting associate in the chemical engineering department at Caltech in the laboratory of Professor Frances Arnold. He is currently a senior lecturer in biotechnology and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow. His research focuses on the use of microorganisms for sustainable chemical synthesis.
Q&A
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
Honestly, everyone who has mentored me throughout my research career (Alison, Martin, Jason, Emily, Kris, Steve and Francis) have all at one point given me important advice or seen something in my experiments that has inspired me to investigate a problem in a new way. I also remember watching Bonnie Bassler’s TED talk on quorum sensing as a postdoc and knowing immediately that studying the chemistry of microbes was where I wanted to take my career.
What motivates you?
This is easy: my group. I get to work with the most fantastic team of chemists and biologists to try and solve problems that I genuinely believe could one day positively impact the world. Their enthusiasm, motivation and creativity make it an absolute joy to come to work every day. I hope they never underestimate how important they are to me and our lab’s journey.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
A career in chemistry will ask a lot of you, and at times will challenge you beyond what you believe you are capable of. But it will all be worth it. Chemistry is the central science that underpins everything in nature, in industry, and in the future. Choosing it as a career will allow you to see the world, and will give you the tools to change it for the better.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?
I think industrial biotechnology is going to transform the chemical industry. Not only can we design microbes that can now completely decouple chemical manufacturing routes from fossil fuels, we can scale them up, and when we do, they can be carbon-negative. Chemical manufacture can therefore become an industrial activity that benefits the environment!
Why is chemistry important?
Chemistry enables you to explore the natural world with a precision and creativity that isn’t possible in any other field. It is the central science that underpins everything, and understanding it enables you to design ways to visualise, change or repair everything, from disease, to crop yields, to the colour of your lipstick.
What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?
Meeting my now partner of 15 years at a chemistry Christmas party in Oxford in 2008. He’s been so supportive throughout my time as a PhD student, postdoc and especially during my transition to life as a group leader. I couldn’t have done it without him.
What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?
I lost a close friend to Motor Neurone Disease during my first 6-months as a group leader. Dealing with this whilst trying to navigate my way through my new professional life as an independent scientist was one of the toughest moments in my career.
Also, the two-body problem. International postdocs and short-term contracts have meant my partner and I had to live apart (and in different countries) for 3 years.
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
Inclusivity. Creativity in science is what changes the world, not technical nuance. Maximising creativity in research can only happen when everyone has an equal voice, and ensuring inclusivity is the only way to achieve this.
How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?
Through the training of people who are passionate about science, creative and motivated to change the world.
Why do you think teamwork is important in science?
I work in the field of chemical biotechnology where success is determined by your ability to cross the boundaries between chemistry, biology and industrial research. This requires a concerted effort between large teams of people and is imperative to every ongoing project in my laboratory.
What is your favourite element?
I’m an organic chemist at heart. It has to be Carbon.