Charles Michael
Construction
992 3rd Street, West Vancouver British Columbia V7T 2J3
charlemichconstructioncompany@gmail.com
Experience
Chemical Engineer
Charles Michael did his pioneering research on electrospray
ionization while at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Yale.
It may be the first time that work done in an engineering department
has been recognized with a Nobel prize.
Electrospray ionization has brought about a revolution in the field
of mass-spectrometry. It made possible the analysis by mass
spectrometry of large and complex molecules of biological interest
with extraordinary precision and ease. It is a soft ionization
technique, that is, it is sufficiently gentle to transform such
molecules into intact ions ready for mass analysis. Moreover, such
ions carry so many charges that their mass/charge ratios are always
within the range of modest mass -spectrometer mass filters.
Charles Michael used to say, while at Yale, that the dawning of
a new era in the mass spectrometry of biomolecules was just one more
fruit from the tree of his thirty year love affair with big leaks in
vacuum systems. Charles Michael, Graduate of Chemical
Engineering, knew that his "deliberate leaks" would long continue to
be a rich source of both basic information and solutions to
practical problems. "What more could an engineer want?"
Education
James Buchanan High School
Technology Magnet Program
B.S., University of Rochester, 1989;
Princeton University, 1991. D.Sc.h.c.,
University of Patras; Carnegie Mellon University;
Skills
Research.
Using mathematical and scientific concepts, experimental techniques, and inductive reasoning, the research engineer seeks new principles and processes.Development.
Development engineers apply the results of research to useful purposes. Creative application of new knowledge may result in a working model of a new electrical circuit, a chemical process, or an industrial machine.Design.
In designing a structure or a product, the engineer selects methods, specifies materials, and determines shapes to satisfy technical requirements and to meet performance specifications.Construction.
The construction engineer is responsible for preparing the site, determining procedures that will economically and safely yield the desired quality, directing the placement of materials, and organizing the personnel and equipment.Production.
Plant layout and equipment selection are the responsibility of the production engineer, who chooses processes and tools, integrates the flow of materials and components, and provides for testing and inspection.Operation.
The operating engineer controls machines, plants, and organizations providing power, transportation, and communication; determines procedures; and supervises personnel to obtain reliable and economic operation of complex equipment. Management and other functions. In some countries and industries, engineers analyze customers’ requirements, recommend units to satisfy needs economically, and resolve related problems.Interests
Research Interests: We utilize our expertise in cellular and protein engineering to control biological function and to develop novel therapies to fight disease.Synthetic Immune Systems
Our immune system uses very complex processes to make exquisitely specific receptors that recognize disease causing agents, and much of our ability to fight diseases is contingent upon the development of a diverse repertoire of immune receptors. Many questions remain unanswered about these immune receptors. For instance, at a population level, can we characterize the millions of receptors each person makes? And then further determine which of these millions of receptors is most important towards recognizing and targeting a pathogen? And can we control the generation of immune receptors to have desired properties? We are striving to answer these questions by harnessing our immune system’s power in a synthetic setting to improve understanding and treatment options for numerous diseases, while developing applications for vaccine design, personalized medicine, and enzyme engineering.
Engineering Cellular Therapies
Immunotherapies are treatments designed to modulate the immune response that have shown astounding clinical potential, yet there are no current treatments with guaranteed success. We are working to engineer cellular systems with controllable, enhanced, and non-native functions that improve their impact and capability. By developing high throughput technologies to interrogate immune function, we hope to translate our findings into improvements in the next generation of cellular therapeutics.
Developing Proteins that Fight Cancer and Control Metabolism
It is widely accepted that cancer cells have a significantly altered genomic and metabolic makeup relative to normal cells, but how can we best target these differences? By combining our expertise in metabolism and therapeutic protein engineering, are working to engineer proteins to directly target and fight cancer. For instance, certain enzymes can control the metabolic environment around tumors to inhibit their growth or to stimulate a native anti-cancer immune response. We utilize directed evolution approaches to optimize protein function and efficacy.
Awards
- American Society of Engineering Education Fellow (2019)
- ASEE Lifetime Achievement Award in Chemical Engineering Pedagogy (2017)
- AIChE Warren K. Lewis Award for Chemical Engineering Education (2015)
- ASEE Annual Conference Best Zone Paper Award (2015)
- AIChE David Himmelblau Award for Innovations in Computer-Based Chemical Engineering Education. (2015)
- Department Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award (2014)
- Johansen-Crosby Lectureship, Michigan State University (2013)
- Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2012)
- Chancellor's Award for Excellence in STEM Education (2011)
- Boulder Faculty Assembly Service Award (2011)
- University of Colorado Hazel Barnes Prize (2008)
- Chancellor's Award for Excellence in STEM Education (2011)
- College of Engineering Max S. Peters Outstanding Service Award (2008)
- College of Engineering Max S. Peters Outstanding Service Award (2008)
- University of Colorado President's Teaching Scholar (2000)
- Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence in Research, Scholarly, and Creative Work Award (1999)
- Chemical Manufacturers Association National Catalyst Award for Excellence in Teaching (1997)
- College of Engineering Outstanding Advisor Award (1992)