Laura Berstis

Biography

Ph.D., Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, University of Zrich, Switzerland, 2013, M.Sc., Computational Science, University of Zrich, Switzerland, 2009, B.S., Bioengineering: Biotechnology, University of California San Diego, 2007. Additionally, she is interested in the development and implementation of high-accuracy but tractable quantum mechanics computational methods to predict electron transfer reactions and characterize their structure-reactivity relationships within systems ranging from small organic molecules to large biomolecules.

Research Interest

Berstis's research interests focus on the computational design and evaluation of natural and engineered lignin polymers and their (de-)polymerization reactions via both hydrolysis and catalyst-mediated oxidations. By applying quantum mechanical computational models, she aims to predict higher efficiency decomposition techniques and guide lignin bioengineering efforts for improved biofuel feedstocks.