Dennis Vigil

Advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have dramatically expanded our ability to engineer microorganisms capable of producing fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Yet the widespread deployment of these technologies remains limited by challenges associated with biomanufacturing at scale. Unlike laboratory-scale cultures, industrial bioreactors exhibit significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity that can expose cells to highly variable environmental trajectories, impacting metabolism, productivity, selectivity, and potentially genetic stability.

This seminar will explore how reactor hydrodynamics can be deliberately engineered to better manage the environments experienced by microbial populations. Examples will include the development of Taylor vortex photobioreactors that use coherent flow structures to generate beneficial light-dark cycling for microalgae cultivation, integrated Taylor vortex fermentor-extractor-separator systems for continuous bioprocessing and in situ product recovery, and von Kármán bioreactors that provide highly uniform turbulence and enhanced mass transfer at reduced power input. Together, these studies illustrate how novel reactor architectures can help bridge the gap between advances in biotechnology and their practical implementation at industrial scale.

R. Dennis Vigil is the Reginal R. Baxter Department Chair and Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

R. Dennis Vigil is the Reginal R. Baxter Department Chair and Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Professor Vigil's research spans transport phenomena, multiphase flow, nonlinear dynamics, reactor engineering, and biomanufacturing. He is known for contributions to the study of two-phase Taylor-Couette flow and for developing innovative bioreactor technologies that leverage coherent flow structures to improve microbial cultivation, process intensification, and integrated bioprocessing. His current research explores how reactor hydrodynamics and cellular environmental trajectories influence the performance, scalability, and economics of biomanufacturing systems.

• Time: 11 AM
• Location: 206 Furnas Hall