 | Nan Fu (PhD) PhD Candidate Email: nan.fu@monash.edu |
Research Interests
Bioprocess engineering, drying of bioproducts, anhydrobiotic engineering, fermentation, food science and technology, microbiology, biofuel, biorefinery, bioreactor, microencapsulation, metabolic engineering, recombinant DNA technology.
Education
| Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC Major: Biotechnology and Food Engineering Thesis: The Extent and Mechanisms of Cell Activity Maintenance during Droplet Drying | |
| Master of Science (Honours) in Biotechnology, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, NSW Major: Applied Microbiology and Fermentation Thesis: Conversion of Sugarcane Bagasse to Ethanol by the Use of Zymomonas mobilis and Pichia stipitis | February 2009 |
| Master of Applied Science in Biotechnology, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, NSW Major: Applied Microbiology and Fermentation; Graduated with Distinction | March 2007 |
| Bachelor of Engineering in Biology, Shaanxi University of Sci. & Technol., Shaanxi, China Major: Biological Engineering and Biotechnology | July 2003 |
Research Experience
| Research Project at Monash University: Single Droplet Technology: Drying, Dissolution of Particles, and Protective Mechanisms of Anhydrated Microorganisms in These Particles Supervisor: Professor Xiao Dong Chen | 02/2009 – present |
| Research focuses on the drying and dissolution behavior of a single droplet during convective drying. Optimizes the design of glass-filament single droplet rig. Develops the method to observe the wetting and dissolution behavior of the semi-dried particle. Models the drying kinetics of the single droplet using Reaction Engineering Approach (REA). Evaluates the inactivation kinetics of microorganisms during the droplet drying process. Authors/Co-authors four research papers. | |
| Research Project at Monash University: Production of monodisperse particles of bioactive material via spray drying Advisor: Professor Xiao Dong Chen, Dr. Peggy Chan | 02/2010 – 07/2010 |
| Research focused on the production of bioactive material and the maintenance of its bioactivity during spray drying. Used a novel monodisperse droplet generator to produce particles with narrow size distribution. Evaluated the effect of different carriers on the retained bioactivity of the micro/nano-complexes. Supervised a fourth year project. Authored a research paper. | |
| Research Project at University of Western Sydney: Conversion of Sugarcane Bagasse to Ethanol using the strain co-culture of Zymomonas mobilis with a xylose-fermenting yeast Supervisors: A/Prof. Paul Peiris, A/Prof. John Bavor, Ms. Julie Markham | 03/2006 – 12/2008 |
| Research developed a novel strain co-culture scheme to realize the co-fermentation of mixed glucose/xylose sugars in the hydrolysate of sugar cane bagasse. Investigated the fermentative characteristics of several xylose-fermenting candidates. Scaled-up the fermentation to bioreactor. Designed and evaluated different co-culture schemes. Modified the bioreactor for the highest ethanol yield and productivity. Identified the strain interaction during the co-culture process. Authored two research papers. | |
Publications
Journal articles
- Fu, N., Peiris, P., Markham, J., and Bavor, J., (2009) A novel co-culture process with Zymomonas mobilis and Pichia stipitis for efficient ethanol production on glucose/xylose mixtures, Enzyme and Microbial technology, 45: 210-217.
- Fu, N., and Peiris, P. (2008) Co-fermentation of a mixture of glucose and xylose to ethanol by Zymomonas mobilis and Pachysolen tannophilus, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 24 (7): 1091-1097.
Conferences Proceedings
- Fu, N., Woo, M.W., Lin, S.X.Q., Zhou, Z., Chen, X.D., (2010) “Modelling the drying kinetics of droplets with different initial sizes using Reaction Engineering Approach (REA)”, The 3rd Australia-China Joint Symposium on Science, Technology and Education, Melbourne, Australia, 6 – 8 Oct.
- Fu, N., Woo, M.W., Lin, S.X.Q., Chan, P.P.Y., Chen, X.D., (2010) “Observation of milk crust development by changes in dissolution behavior using glass filament method”, Chemeca 2010, Adelaide, Australia, 26 – 29 September.
- Fu, N., Peiris, P., Markham, J., and Bavor, J., (2009) “Efficient Ethanol production in glucose/xylose co-fermentations by a novel co-culture scheme of Zymomonas mobilis and Pichia stipitis”, The 3rd Victorian Association of Chinese PhD Students and Scholars (VACPS) Research Workshop, Melbourne, Australia, 24 Oct.
- Fu, N., Peiris, P., Markham, J., and Bavor, J., (2008) “Conversion of Sugarcane Bagasse to Ethanol by Co-culture of Zymomonas mobilis and Pichia stipitis”, The Research Futures Postgraduate Conference 2008, Sydney, Australia, 3 – 5, June.
- Fu, N., Peiris, P., Markham, J., and Bavor, J., (2007) “Conversion of Sugarcane Bagasse to Ethanol by Strain Co-cultivation of Zymomonas mobilis and Pichia stipitis”, The Research Futures Postgraduate Conference 2007, Sydney, Australia, 5 – 7, June.
Professional Activities
- Local Organizing Committee, The 3rd Australia-China Joint Symposium on Science, Technology and Education, 6 – 8 Oct 2010, Melbourne, Australia, in conjunction with The 4th Victorian Association of Chinese PhD Students and Scholars (VACPS) Research Workshop (Poster Session).
- Editor-in-Chief, Chair for Bio-Science and Biotechnology Session, The 3rd Victorian Association of Chinese PhD Students and Scholars (VACPS) Research Workshop, 24 Oct 2009, Melbourne, Australia
- Reviewer, International Journal of Food Engineering
- Secretary General, Victorian Association of Chinese PhD Students and Scholars (VACPS), 03/2010 – present.
Professional Skills
Drying: proficient in monitoring the changes in kinetic parameters of a single droplet during convective drying, observing the dissolution behavior of the semi-dried particles, modeling the drying kinetics, developing monodisperse spray-drying system, microencapsulation, optimization of protective carrier & wall material
Microbial culture and Fermentation: proficient in the development and optimization of microbial culture and fermentation process, analysis of kinetic parameters, immobilized culture, upstream and downstream processes, optimization of production of primary and secondary metabolites, plant tissue culture
Analytical techniques: expert with light microscopy, SEM, XRD, HPLC, GC, and various quantitative chemical and enzymatic analysis to determine the enzymatic activity, antioxidant activity, sugar content, protein content, etc. Familiar with NMR and flow cytometry.
Molecular Biology: PCR, restriction enzyme digestion, gel electrophoresis, plasmid transformation, recombinant DNA technology.
Honors and Certificates
| 2009 – present | Monash Graduate Scholarship, Monash University, Australia |
| 2009 – present | Faculty of Engineering International Postgraduate Research Scholarship, Monash University, Australia |
| 2008 | Keynote talk on University Orientation as the international student representative, University of Western Sydney, Australia |
| 2007 | Graduated with Distinction from Master of Applied Science in Biotechnology, University of Western Sydney, Australia |
| 2005 | Certificate of Level 3 (Network Technology), National Computer Rank Examination, China |
| 2002 | Best student paper award, Shaanxi University of Sci. & Technol., China |
| 2001 | Excellent performance award in the Student Association, Shaanxi University of Sci. & Technol., China |
| 1999 – 2001 | Excellent student scholarship, Shaanxi University of Sci. & Technol., China |