About Us
FCRC was established in January 2002 with the primary goal of facilitating research and graduate education throughout the State University System in the multi-disciplinary areas of renewable chemicals and fuels. The Center provides a vehicle to solve new technological challenges, serves as a forum to foster productive interactions among faculty and students, assists faculty in the development of competitive research grants, and increases the visibility of this important activity at the state and national levels.
FCRC promotes a new concept in Florida with broad implications at the national and international levels - the creation of biorefineries that use renewable products from agriculture as feedstocks to replace petroleum-based products. The ultimate vision of the center is to be independent of fossils as the sole source of energy and chemical needs, and at the same time achieve economic and environmental stability, and national energy security.
Contact Information
The Center is currently located at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences, Microbiology and Cell Science Department. P. O. Box 110700, Gainesville, FL. 32611-0700 | Tel: (352) 392-0237 | Fax: (352)392-5922 | Email: spgomez@ufl.edu
Administrative and Organizational Structure
National Board of
Advisers
The board consists of eminent scientists, scholars, and business
leaders whose main function is two-fold: to advertise the efforts and
successes at the University of Florida, and to identify future
opportunities. The board also makes recommendations concerning the
continuation of the Center after 5 years of operation.
Administrative Policy Board
The Administrative Policy Board consists of the Provost, the
Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Vice President
for Research and Graduate Education, Dean of the College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences, and Dean of the College of Engineering Sciences.
The board appoints the Director, gives advice concerning
the interaction of FCRC with other colleges and institutions,
and evaluates the continuation of the FCRC every 5 years based
upon the recommendation of the National Board of Advisors.
Executive Board
The Executive Board consists of the Director, Associate and Assistant
Directors who are appointed by the Director, and faculty members
who are all active researchers in the center and are elected by
each major participating research area. The board administers
FCRC and as such does the following: prepares the annual budget;
makes decisions on hiring staff, post-doctoral researchers, and
visitors; reviews faculty eligibility and membership; conducts annual
reviews of research and prepares report for the Administrative Advisory
Board; maintains liaison between participating faculty through research
seminars and meetings; and organizes research conferences on subjects
of interest to FCRC members.
Director
The Director implements the scientific goals of FCRC, administers the
budget; maintains liaison between FCRC and the University of Florida
Administration, and outside funding agencies; ensures that all reports
and other documents are submitted in accordance with the Federal and
University policy; and assists members in the preparation
of grant proposals and budgets.
Associate Director
The Associate Director assists and temporarily assumes the duties of
the Director as needed.
Administrative Staff
The Administrative Staff consists of the Assistant Director, Office
Assistant, and Website Designer, whose main function is to provide
administrative support in the everyday activities of FCRC.
Assistant Director
The Assistant Director assists the Director, Associate Director, and
faculty members as needed, investigates new funding opportunities,
maintains liaison between funding agencies and FCRC, helps in the
development and submission of grant proposals, assists in reporting,
maintaining records and scheduling of activities, and maintains the
FCRC Website.
Administrative Staff
Assistant Director:
Sheilachu P. Gomez ( Assistant In)
Our Faculty Members
Valerie de Crecy-Lagard (Assistant Professor)
Comparative genomic, bacterial genetics, experimental evolution,
genetic code.
Samuel Farrah (Professor)
Adsorption of microorganisms to solids, modification of solids to
increase adsorption or inactivation of microorganisms.
Claudio F. Gonzalez (Assistant Professor)
Gene expression and
regulation, protein engineering, enzyme production and
characterization.
William B. Gurley (Professor)
Functional analysis of heat shock transcription factors.
Nemat O. Keyhani (Assistant Professor)
Bacterial pathogenesis; toxin production and modes of action;
carbohydrate metabolism; signal transduction and applications for
marine natural products
Graciela Lorca (Assistant Professor)
Transcriptional regulation, comparative genomics.
Lonnie O. Ingram (Distinguished Professor)
Metabolic engineering of bacteria for fuel ethanol and bio-chemical
production
Julie Maupin-Furlow (Associate Professor)
Genetics and biochemistry of ATP-dependent proteolysis
Wayne L. Nicholson (Associate Professor)
Mechanisms of bacterial spore resistance and longevity; survival and
proliferation of microorganisms in extreme extraterrestrial
environments; microbial evolution in novel environments.
Gary F. Peter (Associate Professor)
School of Forest Resources & Conservation Forest genomics and cell
biology.
James Preston (Professor)
Microbial genetics and biochemistry
K. T. Shanmugam (Professor)
Metabolic engineering for fuel and chemicals; regulation of metabolic
pathways.
Eric W. Triplett (Professor)
Biology of the interaction between plants and endophytic bacteria
Our Adjunct Faculty Members
David Beall
dbeall@unf.edu
Department of Biology, University of North Florida
Microbiology
Shouguang Jin (Associate Professor)
Dept of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine
Molecular pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Agrobacterium
mediated transformation
Raphael Katzen
Biomass to ethanol
Gregory Luli (Vice President for Research)
Verenium Corporation
Biomass to cellulosic ethanol
