Professor Huimin Yu is currently a tenured Professor at Tsinghua University, China. Her research mainly focuses on Advanced Biomanufacturing, Synthetic biology and Bio-nanotechnology. Current efforts particularly emphasize the fundamentals and scale-up applications of super whole-cell biocatalysts, cell factories and bio-based metal single atoms. These works have harvested more than 70 patents and 160 journal-publications such as Biotechnology Advances, Metabolic Engineering, ACS Nano and ACS Catalysis; meanwhile obtained the supports from National Key R&D Program, 973 and 863 project, NSFC and multiple company collaborations, etc. She is also the founder of a new synthetic biology company (Evolyzer); she serves as the associate editor of Biotechnology Notes, the editor of Biochemical Engineering Journal, the member of both Asian Synthetic Biology Association and European Federation of Biotechnology. She obtained Awards for Technological Invention (2nd prize, MOE), Natural Science (2nd prize, MOE), Technological Invention (2nd prize, China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association), etc. She also obtained the honorary titles such as New Century Excellent Talents in University (MOE)，Beijing Nova (A) in Science and Technology, etc.

1991-1996 B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, China

1996-2001 Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, China

2000-2003 Assistant Professor in Tsinghua University

2005-2006 Visiting scholar in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA

2003-2012 Associate professor in Tsinghua University

2011-2016 Center head of Tsinghua University (ChemE Dept)-Shandong Polymer Company Biochemicals Joint center

2012-2016 Professor in Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2016-present Tenured Professor, Tsinghua University

2022-present Vice-director of the Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, P. R. China

Advanced bio-manufacturing;

Synthetic biology;

Microbial metabolic engineering;

Bio-nanotechnology

Top 10 Major achievements of ZhongGuanCun Forum (2024): Chasis cells for Biomanufactring (Rhodococcus).

Top 100 New Tech and New Products in ZhongGuanCun International Conference: Biomanufacturing of lipoids and novel applications in agriculture.

Award for Technological Invention (2nd prize), Ministry of Education, China

Award for Cooperation of Science and Technology in Dongying City, National Science and Technology Board of Dongying, Shandong Province.

Award for Technological Invention (2nd prize), China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association

Outstanding Young Contributor in Science and Technology, China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association

New Century Excellent Talents in University, Ministry of Education

Beijing Nova (A) in Science and Technology, Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission

Hua-xin Prominent Scholar Award, Tsinghua University

National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation

1. Youxiang Liang, Yukun Zheng, Jiaying Li, Yan Du, Huimin Yu*. Engineering a non-pigmented Rhodococcus ruber strain for enhanced bio-production of acrylamide. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025,508: 160950.

2. Ruizhao Jiang, Shuting Yuan, Yilong Zhou, Yuwen Wei, Huimin Yu*. Strategies to overcome the challenges of low or no expression of heterologous proteins in Escherichia coli. Biotechnology Advances 75 (2024) 108417.

3. Fulong Li, Yuwen Wei, Yan Du, Youxiang Liang, Yukun Zheng, Shuting Yuan, Huimin Yu*. Expanding the Application of Alcohol Dehydrogenases in Pharmaceutical Chemistry: A Focus on Piperidone Synthesis. 2024, ChemCatChem，e202301474.

4. Wenjing Qi#, Mingye Song#, Miaomiao Wang, Huimin Yu*. Designing M13 Bacteriophage and Fe-nano-nest self-assembly system for universal and facile preparation of metal single atoms as stable mimicking enzymes. ACS Nano, 2023, 17, 24, 25483–25495.

5. Fulong Li, Yan Du, Youxiang Liang, Yuwen Wei, Yukun Zheng, Huimin Yu*. Redesigning of an (R)-selective transaminase for efficient synthesis of pharmacy N-heterocyclic amines. ACS Catalysis, 2023,13: 422-432 .

6. Yan Du, Fangyu Cheng, Miaomiao Wang, Chunmeng Xu and Huimin Yu*. Indirect pathway metabolic engineering strategies for enhanced biosynthesis of hyaluronic acid in engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 2021, 9:768490.

7. Wenjing Qi, Huimin Yu*. Virus-templated magnetic composite hydrogels for surface immobilization of mimic-free-lipase. Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 17871 – 17880.

8. Youxiang Liang#, Yuwen Wei#, Song Jiao and Huimin Yu*. A CRISPR/Cas9-based single-stranded DNA recombineering system for genome editing of Rhodococcus opacus PD630. Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, 2021, 6: 200–208.

9. Youxiang Liang, Huimin Yu*. Genetic toolkits for engineering Rhodococcus species with versatile applications. Biotechnology Advances, 2021, 49: 107748.

10. Fulong Li, Youxiang Liang, Yuwen Wei, Yukun Zheng, Yan Du and Huimin Yu*. Biochemical and structural characterization of an (R)-selective transaminase in the asymmetric synthesis of chiral hydroxy amines. Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, 2021, 363, 1–9.

11. Youxiang Liang, Song Jiao, Miaomiao Wang, Huimin Yu* and Zhongyao Shen. A CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing system for Rhodococcus. Metabolic Engineering, 2020, 57: 13-22.

12. Yukun Zheng#, Fangyu Cheng#, Bo Zheng and Huimin Yu*. Enhancing single-cell hyaluronic acid biosynthesis by microbial morphology engineering. Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, 2020, 5, 316–323.

13. Miaomiao Wang, Huimin Yu*, Xu Li, Zhongyao Shen. Single-gene regulated non-spore-forming Bacillus subtilis: different patterns, transcriptome responses and applications for producing enzymes and surfactin. Metabolic Engineering, 2020. 62：235–248.

14. Chunmeng Xu, Lingjun Tang, Youxiang Liang, Song Jiao, Huimin Yu,* and Hui Luo. Novel chaperones RrGroEL and RrGroES for activity and stability enhancement of nitrilase in Escherichia coli and Rhodococcus ruber. Molecules. 2020, 25(4):1002-1016.

15. Song Jiao, Fulong Li, Huimin Yu* and Zhongyao Shen. Advances in acrylamide bioproduction catalyzed with Rhodococcus cells harboring nitrile hydratase. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2020, 104(3), 1001-1012.

16. Fangyu Cheng, HuiminYu*, Gregory Stephanopoulos*. Engineering Corynebacterium glutamicum for high-titer biosynthesis of hyaluronic acid. Metabolic Engineering, 2019, 55:276-289.

17. Miaomiao Wang*, Huimin Yu*, Zhongyao Shen. Antisense RNA-based strategy to enhance ACCase activity and surfactin production in Bacillus subtilis TS1726. ACS synthetic biology. 2019, 8: 251-256.

18. Lingjun Tang#, Ji Yang#, Jie Chen, Jing Zhang, Huimin Yu* and Zhongyao Shen. Design of salt-bridge cyclization peptide tags for stability and activity enhancement of enzymes. Process Biochemistry 2019, 81: 39-47.

19. Song Jiao, Huimin Yu* and Zhongyao Shen. Core elements characterization of Rhodococcus promoters and development of a gradient intensity mini-pool for efficient gene expression. New Biotechnology, 2018, 44, 41-49.

20. Yangzi Chen, Song Jiao, Miaomiao Wang, Jie Chen, Huimin Yu*. A novel molecular chaperone GroEL2 from Rhodococcus ruber and its fusion chimera with nitrile hydratase for co-enhanced activity and stability. Chemical Engineering Science, 192 (2018) 235–243.

21. Fangyu Cheng, Sijin Luozhong, Zhigang Guo, Huimin Yu* and Gregory Stephanopoulos. Enhanced biosynthesis of hyaluronic acid with engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum via metabolic pathway regulation. Biotechnology Journal. 2017, 12, 1700191.

22. Ji Yang, Fangyu Cheng, Huimin Yu*, Junting Wang, Zhigang Guo and Gregory Stephanopoulos. Key role of the carboxyl terminus of hyaluronan synthase in processive synthesis and size control of hyaluronic acid polymers. Biomacromolecules 2017, 18, 1064−1073.

23. Song Jiao, Xu Li, Huimin Yu*, Huan Yang, Xue Li and Zhongyao Shen. In situ enhancement of surfactin biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis using novel artificial inducible promoters. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 2017, 114(4): 832–842.

24. Shuai Zhang, Huimin Yu*, Ji Yang, Zhongyao Shen. Design of the nanoarray-pattern Fe-Ni bi-metal nanoparticles@M13 virus for enhanced reduction of p-chloronitrobenzene through micro-electrolysis effect. Environmental Science: Nano, 2017, 4, 876 - 885.

25. Jizhe Sun, Huimin Yu*, Jie Chen, Hui Luo and Zhongyao Shen. Ammonium acrylate biomanufacturing by an engineered Rhodococcus ruber with nitrilase overexpression and double-knockout of nitrile hydratase and amidase. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology. 2016, 43(12):1631-1639.

26. Huan Yang, Xu Li, Xue Li, Huimin Yu* and Zhongyao Shen. Identification of Lipopeptide Isoforms by Tandem MALDI-TOF-MS/MS Based on the Simultaneous Purification of Iturin, Fengycin and Surfactin by RP-HPLC. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 2015, 407(9): 2529-2542.

27. Xu Li, Huan Yang, Donglai Zhang, Xue Li, Huimin Yu* & Zhongyao Shen. Overexpression of specific proton motive force-dependent transporters facilitate the export of surfactin in Bacillus subtilis. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology: 2015, 42(1), 93-103.

28. Jie Chen, Huimin Yu*, Changchun Liu, Jie Liu and Zhongyao Shen. Improving stability of nitrile hydratase by bridging the salt-bridges in specific thermal-sensitive regions. Journal of Biotechnology, 2013, 164: 354–362.

29. Huimin Yu,* Keith Tyo, H. Alper, D. Marcuschamer, Gregory Stephanopoulos*. A High Throughput Screen for Hyaluronic Acid Accumulation in Recombinant Escherichia coli Transformed by Libraries of Engineered Sigma Factors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 2008, 101 (4): 788-796.

30. Huimin Yu* and Gregory Stephanopoulos*. Metabolic Engineering of Escherichia coli for biosynthesis of hyaluronic acid. Metabolic Engineering. 2008, 10(1): 24-32.