Wilson, David B
Professor
I am trained as a Biochemist and have learned Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Genomics during my time at Cornell. I am a member of three fields and I have many interdisciplinary collaborations, mostly with Cornell faculty. I serve on many graduate committees of students, who minor in Biochemistry or Microbiology.
research
research and scholarship focus
My research has focused on plant cell wall degrading enzymes, trying to study their structure-functional relationships, with a goal to engineer more active enzymes using rational design. I have also been working on the genomics of cellulolytic bacteria and have helped with the sequencing of the genomes of five of them. Currently, I am involved in the effort to develop a major center in bioenergy research at Cornell.
primary investigator of
- ARTIFICIAL CELLLULOSOME VERSUS FREE CELLULASE SYSTEM | Research Grant
- ARTIFICIAL CELLULOSOME VERSUS FREE CELLULASE SYSTEM | Research Grant
- RENEWALL GRANT AND CONSORTIUM AGREEMENT | Research Grant
- STUDIES OF THE GENETIC REGULATION OF THERMOBIFIDA CELLULASES.: STUDIES OF THE GENETIC REGULATION OF THE THERMONOMONOSPORA FUSCA CELLULASES | Research Grant
- THE EFFECT OF CELLULOSE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND SOLID-STATE MORPHOLOGY ON THE ACTIVITY OF CELLULASES. | Research Grant
- UNDERSTANDING THE RATE LIMITING STEPS OF CELLULASE ACTION ON PRE-TREATED BIOMASS | Research Grant
co investigator of
research areas
- agricultural biotechnology | collaborative research area (CALS)
- biochemistry | collaborative research area (CALS)
- biodiversity | collaborative research area (CALS)
- biotechnology | collaborative research area (CALS)
- evolution | collaborative research area (CALS)
- genomics | collaborative research area (CALS)
- microbiology | collaborative research area (CALS)
- molecular biology | collaborative research area (CALS)
- new life sciences | collaborative research area (CALS)
- proteomics | research concentration area (Engineering)
- toxicology | collaborative research area (CALS)
submitted impact statement
- Engineering cellulases with higher activity on pretreated biomass substrates for biofuel production. | 2007 Impact statement
- Plant cell-wall degrading enzymes | 2006 Impact statement
- Determination of the mechanism of plant cell wall degradation by Thermobifida fusca | 2005 Impact statement
- Studies of enzymes that degrade cell walls | 2004 Impact statement
affiliations
head of
- Fermentation Facility | laboratory service facility
faculty appointment in
- Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG) | Cornell department
member of graduate field
- Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology | graduate field
- Environmental Toxicology | graduate field
- Microbiology | graduate field
other Cornell affiliations
- Biofuels Research Laboratory (BRL) | research lab
- Center for the Environment (CFE) | former research center
member of advisory group
teaching
teaching focus
Protein synthesis, Plant cell wall degrading enzymes.
teaches
- BIOBM 4350 - Undergraduate Biochemistry Seminar (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- BIOBM 6330 - Biosynthesis of Macromolecules (TR 09:05:AM-09:55:AM) | fall 2009 class
- BIOG 2990 - Introduction to Research Methods in Biology (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- BIOG 4990 - Independent Undergraduate Research in Biology (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- BIOGD 4980 - Teaching Experience (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- TOX 8900 - Master's Thesis and Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- TOX 9900 - Doctoral Thesis and Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- BIOBM 4350 - Undergraduate Biochemistry Seminar (W 04:00:PM-05:00:PM) | spring 2009 class
- BIOG 2990 - Introduction to Research Methods in Biology (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- TOX 8900 - Master's Thesis and Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- TOX 9900 - Doctoral Thesis and Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- BIOBM 4350 - Undergraduate Biochemistry Seminar (TBA -) | fall 2008 class
- BIOBM 6330 - Biosynthesis of Macromolecules (TR 09:05:AM-09:55:AM) | fall 2008 class
service
outreach focus
Biofuels
current professional activities
-
- Member, the American Society of Biological Chemists
- Member, the American Society of Microbiologists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Member, the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars
- Professor Wilson teaches BioBM 633.
- Associate Editor, Plant Disease, 1990-92
- Editor, Biological & Cultural Tests for Control of Plant Diseases, 1988-90
- Associate Editor, Biological & Cultural Tests for Control of Plant Diseases, 1985-87
-
- Member, the American Society of Biological Chemists
- Member, the American Society of Microbiologists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Member, the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars
- Professor Wilson teaches BioBM 633.
- Associate Editor, Plant Disease, 1990-92
- Editor, Biological & Cultural Tests for Control of Plant Diseases, 1988-90
- Associate Editor, Biological & Cultural Tests for Control of Plant Diseases, 1985-87
event host
background
educational background
- B.A., Harvard, 1961
- Ph.D., Biochemistry, Stanford Medical School, 1966
- Postdoctoral work, Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins Medical School, 1966-67
professional background
- Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Cornell
- Former Director of the Cornell Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology
featured in
- $6 million research lab will produce ethanol and other biofuels from grasses and biomass | Cornell Chronicle feature
publications
linked articles
- Genetic engineering of bacteria and their potential for bioremediation | journal article
- Purification and characterization of Thermobifida fusca xylanase 10B | journal article
- Quantifying bacterial population dynamics in compost using 16S rRNA gene probes | journal article
Keywords: biochemistry, biofuel, cellulase, cellulases, microbiology, molecular biology, plant cell wall degrading enzymes, protein engineering