No ratings yet
Taught by or worked with Stephen? Your rating helps other students choose.
Professor Stephen Wallace is Professor of Chemical Biotechnology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. He joined the university in 2017 as Lecturer in Biotechnology and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020 and to full Professor in 2023. His academic background includes an MChem in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry with Industrial Experience from the University of Edinburgh (2008) and a DPhil in Organic Chemistry from the University of Oxford (2012). Prior to his independent career, he held postdoctoral positions at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, and visiting appointments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology.
Wallace’s research focuses on the interface of synthetic chemistry and synthetic biology, particularly the use of engineered microorganisms and biocompatible reactions for sustainable chemical synthesis from renewable feedstocks. He has received several honours, including the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2020), the Royal Society of Chemistry Norman Heatley Award (2023), the Biochemical Society Colworth Medal (2022), and an ERC Consolidator Grant (2024). In 2025 he was appointed Director of the UKRI Carbon-Loop Sustainable Biomanufacturing Hub. Key early publications include work on designer micelles for engineered metabolism (Angewandte Chemie, 2016) and interfacing microbial styrene production with biocompatible reactions (Angewandte Chemie, 2015). He also serves in leadership roles such as Director of the Carbon-Loop Hub and contributes to editorial and committee activities in chemical biotechnology.
Discover how University of Edinburgh researchers used engineered bacteria to transform PET plastic waste from bottles into L-DOPA, a key Parkinson's treatment. Published in Nature Sustainability, this study advances sustainable biotech at European universities.
Discover how University of Edinburgh scientists use breadcrumbs for fossil-free hydrogenation, revolutionizing production of foods, pharma, and plastics with carbon-negative biotech.
Photo by Precondo CA on Unsplash
Photo by Brecht Corbeel on Unsplash
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Photo by Philip Strong on Unsplash
