Michael Jewett
Ph.D. ’04
Chemical Engineering
Academic advisor: Professor James Swartz
What have you been up to since Stanford?
At Stanford, I was fortunate to work in the lab of Jim Swartz. As a mentor, Jim was kind, supportive and an active listener. He built a culture of creative innovation, was relentless in his pursuit of excellence and provided a level of independence that matched my needs. Like my parents, Jim was from South Dakota, which gave me an extra sense of home and community. I learned many lessons from Jim about curiosity, teamwork, resilience, communication and leadership that I still draw upon today as a professor.
After Stanford, I headed to the Technical University of Denmark to study metabolic engineering with Jens Nielsen. Jens was passionate about science, incredibly sharp, and, like Jim, had an entrepreneurial spirit. Following my time in Denmark, I pursued postdoctoral studies with George Church at the Harvard Medical School while an NIH Pathway to Independence Fellow. George is a true renaissance scientist, and his group was a great match for me. Then, I began my own academic career in 2009 as an assistant professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University. From 2018-2019, I was on sabbatical as a guest professor in Basel, Switzerland at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich).
Today, I am the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern. My research focuses on engineering biological systems for compelling applications in energy, human health and the environment. In addition to my role on the faculty, I direct the Center for Synthetic Biology at Northwestern and have started several companies, including SwiftScale Biologics, Design Pharmaceuticals, Stemloop Inc. and Pearl Bio.
What’s your fondest memory about your time at Stanford?
Stanford provided a transformational experience for me, and I have so many fond memories. I remember many late night study sessions with my peer cohort, running the dish, outdoor volleyball and barbecues with 'chef' Jimmy Zawada, softball games and my wedding at Memorial Church with a reception at the faculty club (thanks to Channing!), among others. On the scientific side, I remember the moment, on a very late evening, when I discovered we had activated oxidative phosphorylation to fuel high-level protein synthesis in cell-free systems. It was wonderful to taste the moment of knowledge creation.
Can you share any advice with our current students or postdocs?
Every student/postdoc has different needs, but here are a few pieces of advice. First, find your people. In terms of feeling supported, day-to-day happiness, and being able to your best self, people matter. Thus, my wish for you is that you find an environment where you are socially connected, feel included, and can be part of a team that celebrates collective unselfishness. Second, your time as a PhD student, or postdoc, is going to go much faster than you think. I encourage you to work with sustained intention and purpose. Finally, have fun! There is nothing like being the only person in the world that has discovered a new piece of knowledge. Relish those moments and seek them out.
