Paul Frymier

Dr. Frymier earned his B.S. degree Magna Cum Laude (1985) and his M.S. degree (1987) in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University. Following his MS degree, he served in the US Peace Corps in the Gambia, West Africa until 1989. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1995. His dissertation research included experimental studies and theoretical modeling of subsurface migration and substrate degradation by chemotactic bacteria. In 1995, Dr. Frymier joined the University of Tennessee as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2001. His research projects have included the development of whole cell and enzyme-based biosensors, modeling and reactor design for the bioproduction of commodity chemicals, real-time environmental toxicity monitoring, and cell migration and chemotaxis. His current research interests include the study of microbial fuel cells and biological systems based on algae and cyanobacterial photosynthetic and electron transport systems for the production of electricity and hydrogen.

Specifc projects include: 1) 1hermal and temporal stability of hydrogenase from the isolated metalized photosystems of thermophyllic cyanobacteria, 2) improving the kinetics of electron transport in isolated photosystems and cytochromes, and 3) enhanced electricity and hydrogen production from microbial fuel cells

Visit http://photosystems.utk.edu/ for more information.