Tina Jeoh, Assistant Professor

Photo of Tina Jeoh

Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
2044 Bainer Hall
Phone: 530-752-1020
Email:tjeoh@ucdavis.edu
Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeoh-Laboratory-Bio-and-Ag-Engineering-UC-Davis/100121542849?ref=nf







Dr. Jeoh's primary research area is centered on understanding the mechanisms by which such enzymes act on the structural polysaccharides cell wall of plants to release soluble, fermentable sugars. Her current research focus include nano- and micrometer-scale investigations of cellulose surface structure and chemistry that influence productive cellulase binding; and studies of lignocellulose-water interactions that influence bulk saccharification reactions at various solids loadings. Dr. Jeoh and her graduate students pursue application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study the heterogeneous enzyme-substrate reactions.

Current Research:
Fundamental research towards efficient conversion of agricultural residues (lignocellulosic biomass) to biofuels: Saprophytic microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria produce a variety of enzymes that specifically breakdown the structural polysaccharides in plant cell walls. Industrially, these enzymes play a key role in the conversion of agricultural residues, wood wastes or energy crops to biofuels and other bio-based products.

Applied research towards bio-based solutions:
Spray-dried cross-linked alginate encapsulation of bioproducts. Dr. Jeoh and members of her lab have developed a new technology to allow direct cross-linking of alginates during spray-drying, thus allowing industrial-scale encapsulation of bioproducts (proteins, cells, probiotics, neutraceuticals etc). http://techtransfer.universityofcalifornia.edu/NCD/20956.html
Bio-ethylene production. Dr. Jeoh and her students are pursuing novel biological routes for conversion of agricultural residues to ethylene, a precursor to many commercially ubiquitous plastics. This project, worked on by various undergraduate students, has also been an important engineering design project for senior capstone design students.

Education

Ph. D. Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 2004

Teaching

  • EBS 75: Properties of Materials in Biological Systems
  • EBS 127: Mass Transfer and Kinetics in Biological Systems
  • EBS 161: Kinetics and Bioreactor Design

    • Scientific and Professional Societies

    American Chemical Society

    Research Support

    National Science Foundation

    Representative Recent Publications

    Lavenson D, Tozzi EJ, McCarthy MJ, Powell RL & Jeoh T. Investigating Adsorption of Bovine Serum Albumin on Various Cellulosic Substrates Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Cellulose, 2011; Accepted.
    Roberts KM, Lavenson D, Tozzi EJ, McCarthy MJ & Jeoh T. The Effects of Water Interactions in Cellulose Suspensions on Mass Transfer and Saccharification Efficiency at High Loadings. Cellulose, 2011; 18: 759-773.
    Santa-Maria, M. and T. Jeoh. 2010. "Molecular-scale investigations of cellulose microstructure during enzymatic hydrolysis." Biomacromolecules 11(8):2000 - 2007.
    Ishizawa, C., T. Jeoh, M. E. Himmel, W. S. Adney, D. K. Johnson and M. F. Davis. 2009. "Can Delignification decrease Cellulose Digestibility in Acid Pretreated Corn Stover?" Cellulose 16(4): 277 ñ 686.
    Adney, W. S., T. Jeoh, G. T. Beckham, Y. C. Chou, J. O. Baker, W. Michener, R. Brunecky and M. E. Himmel. 2009. "Probing the role of N-linked glycans in the stability and activity of fungal cellobiohydrolases by mutational analysis." Cellulose 16(4): 699 ñ 709.
    Jeoh, T., Michener, W., Himmel, M. E., Decker, S. R., Adney, W. S. 2008. Implications of cellobiohydrolase glycosylation for use in biomass conversion. Biotechnology for Biofuels 1:10.
    Jeoh T., Ishizawa, C. I., Davis, M. F., Himmel, M. E., Adney, W. S. and Johnson, D. K. 2007. Cellulase Digestibility of Pretreated Biomass is Limited by Cellulose Accessibility. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 98(1): 112 ñ 122.
    Jeoh, T., Wilson, D. B., Walker, L. P. 2006. Synergistic Mechanism of Binary Mixtures of Thermobifida fusca Cel5A, Cel6B and Cel9A on Cellulose. Biotechnology Progress 22(1):270-277.
    Jeoh, T., Baker, J. O., Ali, M. K., Himmel, M. E., and Adney, W. S. 2005. ?-D-Glucosidase Reaction Kinetics from Isothermal Titration Microcalorimetry. Analytical Biochemistry 347(2):244-253.
    Jeoh, T., Wilson, D. B., Walker, L. P. 2002. Cooperative and Competitive Binding in Synergistic Mixtures of Thermobifida fusca Cellulases Cel5A, Cel6B and Cel9A. Biotechnology Progress 18(4): 760-769.