Whole Cell Biocatalysis: Fundamentals and Applications

Sergio Huerta-Ochoa (PhD, 1993, Reading University, UK) has been part of the Staff of the Biotechnology Department during 35 years at “Autónoma Metropolitana” University in Mexico City. He spent a sabbatical year (2007-2008) as an Honorary Research Associate at the Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, UK. His expertise is mainly focused on engineering of bioconversion processes using whole-cells in partitioning bioreactors. He is Co-author of 48 papers in indexed international journals (h index 14, Scopus-Elsevier, May 2017) and supervised up to 13 MSc and 5 PhD theses. One of these PhD theses titled “Study of mass transfer, kinetic and deactivation of a three phase partitioning bioreactor using whole cells” won the Alfredo Sánchez Marroquín 2015 award by the Mexican Society of Biotechnology and Bioengineering (SMBB). He is awarded with the “Level II” membership of the National Researchers System of Mexico (SNI), and Member of the Mexican Academy of Science since 2014.

Dr. Lilia Arely Prado Barragán (PhD, 1997, University of Nottingham) has been part of the staff of the Biotechnology Department for 35 years at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City. She has published 51 articles in indexed international journals, 18 book chapters and co-edited 3 books. She has supervised 9 Masters theses and 12 Doctoral theses. She belongs to the National System of Researchers (SNI) in "Level I”, and has been a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences since 2016.

Prof. Dr. Cristobal N. Aguilar, Chemist, PhD, was the Director of the Research and Postgraduate Programs at Autonomous University of Coahuila (2018–2024, Mexico, where from 2014 to 2018, he was the Dean of the School of Chemistry. He is a Level III member of S.N.I. (Mexican System of Researchers). He has received several prizes and awards, among which the most important are the National Prize of Research 2010 of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the Prize “Carlos Casas Campillo 2008” of the Mexican Society of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, the National Prize AgroBio–2005, the Mexican Prize in Food Science and Technology from CONACYT-Coca Cola México 2003, the 2018 Outstanding Researcher Award by the International Association of Bioprocessing, and the 2019 Coahuila State Innovation Science and Technology Award. He's developed more than 30 research projects, including seven international exchange projects. He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Science (since 2014).