Applying skills in biocatalysis and organic/polymer chemistry to the synthesis of biobased polymers, surfactants and peptides; reactive processing; applications in material science, antimicrobials, colloid systems, self-assembly and photovoltaics; bioresorbable functional polymeric materials for regenerative medicine; new therapeutics from glycolipids; biocatalytic reactions using whole cell and cell-free systems; enzyme structure-activity studies; biofibers; nanocomposites; designing sustainable processes; fermentation engineering.