Welcome to the Wallace Lab! Designer Microorganisms for a Sustainable Future We are a multidisciplinary research group based in the Centre for Engineering Biology at the University of Edinburgh. We are inspired by the chemical ingenuity of microorganisms and how they can be genetically programmed to produce important industrial chemicals from sustainable feedstocks and waste. More info Publications Lab group publications and press coverage. Team Meet the Team. News All the latest news and updates from the group. Check out Stephen's TED TalkIn this talk Dr. Wallace explains the ways in which synthetic biologic will help us tackle climate change. Dr. Stephen Wallace is an Associate Professor of Biotechnology and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. He received a DPhil in Organic Chemistry from the University of Oxford and is a designer of microorganisms with a drive to create new biotechnologies that can enable the manufacture of chemicals such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics from sustainable materials as opposed to fossil fuels. Research from his lab has achieved the bio-production of nylon precursors from plant biomass and paper waste, and the production of vanilla flavouring from plastic waste. Opportunities Available vacancies with the Wallace Group. Contact Get in touch with the lab. This article was published on 2025-05-19