Curriculum vitae
Nicholas Callow, PhD
e-mail: NVCallow@gmail.com
Education
PhD in Chemical Engineering, The University of Akron
- Dissertation: “Exploring the controlled pellet formation of Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30 for improved fermentation”
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, The University of Akron
- Minor in Chemistry
- Honors Designation: cum laude
- University Honors Scholar
- Honors Project Thesis: “Development of a simple analytical model for the plasma enhanced vapor phase polymerization of octafluorocyclobutane”
Technical Experiences
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Akron (Current Project)
- Developed cost models to understand how process conditions affect overall production costs for enzymatic soy protein production
- Repairing lab equipment (HPLCs, GCs, MS)
- Writing and editing papers for publication
- Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Akron (6 yr)
- Conducted laboratory experiments and applied engineering principles to biological systems to optimize culture media and processes for continuous, batch, and fed-batch fermenters
- Reduced the cost of cellulase production by 60% by using specialized fermentation of T. reesei
- Solved the pellet problem of T. reesei fermentation by developing a patent pending technology to form consistent, controllable fungal pellets for enzyme production (patent application US2011027858-A1)
- Designed economic models to understand soy protein production
- Created standard lab methods, operating procedures and educated others in good lab practices.
- Helped produce novel bio-surfactant based polyurethanes
- Tested market potential of bio-polyurethene with NSF I-corps program
- Wrote LabView programs for advanced fermenter control
- Setup, operated, designed and tested fermenters for goal oriented studies
- Teaching Assistant (4 mo)
- Helped teach The University of Akron’s Tools for Chemical Engineering
- Responsible for web-module setup and maintenance, learning assistance, and student progress evaluations
- This class focused on teaching Microsoft Excel – TA’s are experts in Excel
- R&D Engineer, Cooperative Education at Aircraft Braking Systems Corporation (2 yr)
- Created embedded Visual Basic software to analyze carbon brake parts for longevity
- Worked on support hardware for carbon-carbon airplane brakes
- Helped study and design anti-oxidation coatings for ceramic-carbon/carbon composites
- Used an SEM for analytical contamination testing
- Research Assistant at the University of Akron (1 yr)
- Responsible for aiding in graduate research, which included the operation of fermentation equipment, testing and data analysis for the in-situ production and foam fractionation of fungal cellulase.
Technical Skills
- Fermentation: Setup, Design, Operation, Analysis and Control
- How does your microbe respond to different growth factors, nutrients, pH, oxygen, etc?
- Leveraging expected metabolic processes to achieve a desired outcomes
- Fermentation equipment experience: New Brunswick series, Mettler Toledo pH/dO2 controllers, etc.
- Fungal/Bacterial/Yeast Culture Maintenance, Storage, and Inoculation Techniques for Contamination Free processes
- Safe operation, sterilization, management of fermenters, shakers, autoclaves, and biosafety cabinets
- Experienced with scale up from shake flasks to fermenters
- Built open air fermenters
- Creation of laboratory standard operating procedures (SOP) and standard chemical safety procedures
- Software Skills: Microsoft Excel/Office/Access, Polymath, ChemCad, Linux
- Computer Languages: FORTRAN, VBA, HTML, LaTeX
- SEM/EDX testing (Cambridge S360, HITACHI TM-3000)
- HPLC-MS (Agilent LC1100/LC1200, Bruker Esquire, Shimdazu, Softa)
- Developed methods for APCI MS analysis of algae lipids
- Worked with carbohydrate and surfactant quantification
- Maintained all equipment and upgraded from 10Base2 to 10Base-T (bonus points you know that this means)
- Repaired Shimadzu auto-injector and rebuilt pumps
- GC (Shimadzu)
- Experience with algae lipid analysis
- F.A.M.E. analysis
- Lab Skills: Culture Collection Maintenance, pipettes, centrifuges, etc.
- Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (Olympus FV1000)
- Studying soybean degradation
- Analyzed the metabolic state of fungus with fluorescent probes
- Built fermenter controls with LabView / NI / DAQ boxes / Pyro Sciences
- Installing and setting-up temperature controllers
Publications
[1] Callow, N.V.; Ray C. S.; Kelbly, M. A.; Ju, L.-K. Nutrient Control for Stationary Phase Cellulase Production in Trichoderma reesei Rut C-30 (2016) Enzyme and Microbial Technology, doi:10.1016/j.enzmictec.2015.08.012
[2] Miao,S., Callow N. V., Ju, L.-K. Ethyl rhamnolipids as a renewable source to produce biopolyurethanes (2014) European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 117, 2, 156-160. doi:10.1002/ejlt.201400295
[3] Miao, S., Callow, N., Zhang, S., Su, Z., Wang, P., and Liu, Y. Enzymatic synthesis of oleic acid-based epoxy monomer for the production of value added polymers. (2013) Biotechnology letters, 35, 887–90. doi:10.1007/s10529-013-1162-1
[4] Miao, S., Callow, N., Wang, P., Liu, Y., Su, Z., and Zhang, S. Soybean Oil-Based Polyurethane Networks: Shape-Memory Effects and Surface Morphologies. (2013) Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 90, 1415–1421. doi:10.1007/s11746-013-2273-5
[5] Callow, N. V and Ju, L.-K. Promoting pellet growth of Trichoderma reesei Rut C30 by surfactants for easy separation and enhanced cellulase production (2012). Enzyme and microbial technology, 50, 311–7. doi;10.1016/j.enzmictec.2012.02.006
[6] Lo, C., Zhang, Q., Callow, N. V., and Ju, L.-K. Roles of extracellular lactose hydrolysis in cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei Rut C30 using lactose as inducing substrate. (2010) Process Biochemistry, 45, 1494–1503. doi:10.1016/j.procbio.2010.05.031
[7] Lo, C.-M., Zhang, Q., Callow, N. V, and Ju, L.-K. Cellulase production by continuous culture of Trichoderma reesei Rut C30 using acid hydrolysate prepared to retain more oligosaccharides for induction. (2010) Bioresource technology,101, 717–23. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2009.08.056
Patents
[1] JU, L., SRINIVASAN, N., and CALLOW, N. V. Modifying fungal morphology useful to produce cellulase, comprises introducing surfactant (e.g. rhamnolipid) to a fungus, or to a growing mixture containing a fungus e.g. Trichoderma reesei and Trichoderma viride. (2011). Patent Number: US2011027858-A1
Presentations
[1] 2013 AIChE Annual Meeting (2013 International Congress on Energy (ICE)): Engineering Strategies to Improve Cellulase Production: Trichoderma reesei as a Pellet. Nicholas Callow, Lu-Kwang Ju and Matthew Kelbly
[2] 2008 AIChE National Student Conference (Regional Conference Host Session): How to plan a conference and tips for future hosts
Past Activities and Groups
- Member of The American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- Croatian Fraternal Lodge member and volunteer
- President of the ISPE student group at The University of Akron
- Founding member & vice president of ChemESO, a graduate student organization
- Akron student chapter of The American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- Chairman of the 2008 – North Central Regional Conference Planning Committee
- Student organization treasurer
- Webmaster
- Chem-E-Car Design Team
- Captain of the Akron student organization
- Webmaster
- University of Akron Honors Program
- Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Past Awards and Honors
- The University of Akron Honors Program “University Honors Scholar”
- “Outstanding Senior Student” award from the Akron AIChE group, Akron E-Week 2008
- “Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Exceptional TA award”
Scholarships
- The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation Scholarship
- Robert C. Stell Scholarship
- University of Akron Honors Scholarship
- Harold Rasmussen Scholarship
- Babcock & Wilcox Scholarship
- The University of Akron College of Engineering
- 717 Credit Union
- William Farr Masonic Lodge