Adam M. Feist

Professor, Department of Bioengineering - UC San Diego

Professor, Department of Bioengineering - UC San Diego

Group Leader at Novo Nordisk Foundation BRIGHT BioFoundry - Technical University of Denmark, DTU

Group Leader at Novo Nordisk Foundation BRIGHT BioFoundry - Technical University of Denmark, DTU

Inaugural Director of the Future Biomanufacturing Center - UC San Diego

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Chancellor's Endowed Faculty Fellowship for Genome Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering - UC San Diego

Adam Feist is a professor at UC San Diego whose lab sits at the intersection of laboratory automation, microbial evolution, and computational biology. The group built the ALEbot automated evolution platform and ALEdb, a database that turns thousands of evolved genomes into a structured, machine-learnable record of how microbes adapt. Genome-scale models serve as digital twins that predict strain behavior and make omics data interpretable — all released as open-source tools. These platforms connect fundamental discovery to applied engineering, producing microbes that make valuable compounds and break down persistent plastics.

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Grants

Current

  • Scientific Lead, Host Engineering - The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) Agency: U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) - Focus: Evolutionary engineering of microbes for bioproduction of biofuels and bioproducts

  • Scientific Lead - The Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) Agency: U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) - Focus: Evolutionary engineering of microbes for bioproduction of biofuels and bioproducts

  • co-PI - Agency: DOE Office of Science - Focus: Evaluating Cell Heterogeneities in Scalable Bioprocessing using Whole Genome Sequencing

Former

  • Co-PI - Agency: DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office - Focus: Optimization of microbial spores for incorporation into thermoplastic polyurethanes via ALE

  • Co-I - Agency: NIH NIAID - Focus: Systems biology targeting of antimicrobial resistance

  • Co-PI - Agency: Novo Nordisk Foundation - Focus: Network Reconstruction and in silico Biology

  • Investigator - Agency: NIH NIGMS - Focus: Evolution of E. coli to stress conditions to uncover functional pathways and networks

AWARDS & Recognition

education

Doctor of Philosophy in Bioengineering University of California - San Diego, December 2008

Master of Science in Bioengineering University of California - San Diego, December 2005

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering University of Nebraska - Lincoln, May 2003, Honors Program Graduate

Previous Research Experience

GT Life Sciences, Inc., San Diego, CA (2009 - 2010)

Biological Process Development Facility / UNL - Protein Purification Laboratory (2002 - 2003)

Lab Locations

San Diego, CA

University of California San Diego

Copenhagen, Denmark

Technical University of Denmark

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In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories. More information about Proposition 209 can be found here. More information about the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy can be found here. Initiatives are open to all eligible members of the UC San Diego campus community and does not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories.

©2026 by Adam Feist and UC San Diego. All rights reserved.

Lab Locations

San Diego, CA

University of California San Diego

Copenhagen, Denmark

Technical University of Denmark

Get in Touch

Contact Us ↗

Follow Us

In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories. More information about Proposition 209 can be found here. More information about the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy can be found here. Initiatives are open to all eligible members of the UC San Diego campus community and does not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories.


©2026 by Adam Feist and UC San Diego. All rights reserved.