Kristala Prather

MIT research explores whether plant DNA can solve our plastic problem

Kristala Prather (Chemical Engineering) discusses her work using synthetic biology to develop new materials that function like plastic, but don't rely on fossil fuels and biodegrade when no longer in use.

Building a better chemical factory—out of microbes

Kristala Jones Prather (Chemical Engineering) has made it practical to turn microbes into efficient producers of desired chemicals, while also working to reduce our dependence on petroleum.