Nicholas Butzin

Title

Associate Professor of Synthetic Biology

Office Building

Alfred Dairy Science Hall

Office

225E

Mailing Address

Alfred Dairy Science Hall 225E
Biology and Microbiology-Box 2104A
University Station
Brookings, SD 57007

Social Media Links

• LinkedIn

Academic Responsibilities

• Fall: Introductory Microbiology (MICR-233)
• Spring: Microbial Physiology (MICR-332)

Awards and Honors

• Feb. 19, 2020 Dr. Sherwood and Elizabeth Berg Young Faculty Award, South Dakota State University.
  • Awarded based on a commitment to teaching, research and outreach. Consisted of a monetary portion to support research and scholarly activities.

Grants

• MRI: Acquisition of an Octet RED96 BioLayer Interferometry Instrument for Multidisciplinary Molecular Interaction Research and Training. National Science Foundation (NSF), 2021, $243,000.
• Role of priority effects on gut microbiota assembly on gut mucosal interface. National Science Foundation (NSF), 2020, $49,999.
• Using a queueing framework to explore the design principles of synthetic circuits in microorganisms. National Science Foundation (NSF), 2019, $1,138,000.
• RII Track-1: Building on The 2020 Vision: Expanding Research, Education and Innovation in South Dakota. National Science Foundation (NSF), 2019, $3,828,361.

Work Experience

• 2017-present, assistant professor of synthetic biology, Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University
• 2016-2017, research scientist, Department of Physics, Virginia Tech
• 2012-2016, postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Physics, Virginia Tech
• 2009-2012, postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of Connecticut
• 2005-2009, graduate research assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Areas of Research

• Metabolic engineering; synthetic biology.
• Molecular microbial physiology and evolution.
• Natural and synthetic microbial networks: oscillators, biosensors, etc.
• Robustness and fitness of microbial life and biological systems:
  • Antibiotic resistance, tolerance, and persistence
  • Bacterial dormancy
  • Microbial adaptation
  • Microbial ecology
• Life at the extreme (extremophilic organisms) and the origin of cellular life.

I am broadly interested in molecular microbial physiology and evolution, which I have studied in the past using traditional microbiology, molecular biology and bioinformatic tools. We also use the more holistic approach of synthetic and systems biology. Current work utilizes several organisms including escherichia coli, mycoplasma and a few thermophiles. We utilize these organisms and synthetic systems to study persistence, synthetic ecologies, bottlenecks, cellular response to stress and other phenomena. We use both mathematical and computational methods alongside wet-lab experiments to probe and develop a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that generate and maintain bacterial robustness. This combination of approaches encompasses several disciplines: microbiology, molecular and cell biology, engineering, physics, biophysics, and bioinformatics. Much of our work involves using cutting-edge techniques such as microfluidic devices and machine learning algorithms.