Center for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy
The Center for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy (CIRCLE) is one of six National Science Foundation (NSF) Global Centers. CIRCLE international partnerships include funding agencies in Canada, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, jointly supporting use-inspired research addressing global challenges through the bioeconomy.
CIRCLE will focus on addressing the pressing issues of air pollution reduction, agricultural and food waste treatment, and plastic waste disposal through disruptive solutions—challenges that transcend national borders and require a multidisciplinary approach. By addressing these global challenges through international collaboration and innovative research, CIRCLE aims to make a significant impact on human health and the environment.
The team will focus on scalable solutions for “waste-stream valorization”—the process of taking waste products and giving them renewed economic value through recycling or upcycling. Another aim is to provide sustainable solutions for the commercially viable production of energy, chemicals, and materials.
The scientific aims will focus on developing three core technologies:
- Multi-omics-based bioprospecting to discover new enzymes, gene regulators, and organisms for waste valorization
- Predictive computational approaches to enable forward engineering of proteins and strains for biomanufacturing, and
- Techno-economic analysis (TEA), life cycle analysis (LCA), and risk assessment to develop commercially viable bioprocesses for waste valorization.
These core technologies will be validated for generalizability, scalability, and sustainable bioproduction through three waste streams: mixed plastics, C1 gases (e.g., carbon monoxide and dioxide), and biogenic wastes (e.g., food, agricultural, and paper/cardboard waste).
In addition to scientific output, CIRCLE is committed to training the next generation of scientists and engineers. The Center will offer unique interdisciplinary training opportunities in synthetic biology, systems biology, multi-omics, bioinformatics, computational biology, chemistry, systems engineering, risk assessment, TEA/LCA, and chemical engineering. CIRCLE will also engage the global community through multiple outreach activities, providing free education to ensure the sustainability and broad impact of its innovative approaches.
Funding
This Center is jointly supported by NSF, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and UK Research and Innovation through NSF award #2435184.
Principal Investigator
Key Staff
- Anna Capria, MS
- Christopher Dupont, PhD
- Lucy Stewart, MBA
Collaborators
Jikai Zhao, PhD
Kansas State University
Reza Zadegan, PhD
North Carolina A&T State University
Sunkyu Park, PhD
NC State University
Kai Lan, PhD
NC State University
Saurav Datta, PhD
Keck Graduate Institute
Gargi Ghosh, PhD
Keck Graduate Institute
Anum Glasgow, PhD
Columbia University
Related
Related Research
Publications
Biotechnology advances. 2024-12-01; 77.108462.
The current progress of tandem chemical and biological plastic upcycling
Trends in biotechnology. 2024-11-23;
Producing multiple chemicals through biological upcycling of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate)
Nature communications. 2025-01-16; 16.1: 728.
Developing an alternative medium for in-space biomanufacturing
Trends in biotechnology. 2024-12-04;
Complex waste stream valorization through combined enzymatic hydrolysis and catabolic assimilation by Pseudomonas putida
Microbial cell factories. 2024-12-30; 23.1: 349.
A single-plasmid-based, easily curable CRISPR/Cas9 system for rapid, iterative genome editing in Pseudomonas putida KT2440
Microbial cell factories. 2021-01-19; 20.1: 15.
Metabolic engineering of Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 for production of pyridine-dicarboxylic acids from lignin
Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC. 2023-05-09; 25.9: 3549-3560.
Application of Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 glycolate oxidase as an efficient accessory enzyme for lignin conversion by bacterial Dyp peroxidase enzymes
Nucleic acids research. 2025-07-08; 53.13:
Expanding genetic engineering capabilities in Vibrio natriegens with the Vnat Collection
Chemical communications (Cambridge, England). 2024-12-03; 60.97: 14360-14375.
Sustainable production of aromatic chemicals from lignin using enzymes and engineered microbes
Metabolic engineering. 2025-07-11; 92.22-38.
Establishing Vibrio natriegens as a high-performance host for acetate-based poly-3-hydroxybutyrate production
Canadian journal of microbiology. 2025-01-01; 71.1-20.
Harnessing synthetic biology to empower a circular plastics economy
Scientists engineer microbial teams to transform mixed plastics into valuable products
Revolutionizing plastic waste management through biological upcycling
Innovative research transforms plastic waste into valuable chemicals, paving the way for a circular economy and sustainable space travel
J. Craig Venter Institute awarded 5-year, $5M grant to lead Center for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy (CIRCLE)
CIRCLE is one of the six new NSF Global Centers focused on advancing bioeconomy research to solve global challenges
Join us at CIRCLE Symposium Manchester — an invitation-only gathering of the consortium to review progress and priorities across the six CIRCLE work packages, strengthen collaboration between the core technologies and waste-theme activities, and agree the scientific, translational and management roadmap for the next project period.
Agenda
Day 1 — Core Technologies and Systems Integration
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00–09:30 | Opening Plenary — overview of progress, milestones and roadmap (ND/TSM) |
| 09:30–10:30 | Session 1 · Aim 1: Discovery — review discovery pipelines and outputs feeding downstream aims (Chair: Erin Garza, for Chris Dupont) |
| 10:30–11:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00–12:00 | Session 2 · Aim 2: Biological Computation — computational tools and modelling frameworks across themes (Chair: TBA) |
| 12:00–13:00 | Lunch and networking |
| 13:00–14:00 | Session 3 · Aim 3: Systems Engineering — process design, TEA/LCA, scale-up challenges (Chair: Joshua Pulispher) |
| 14:00–15:00 | Flash poster presentations |
| 15:00–15:30 | Coffee break |
| 15:30–17:00 | Integration Workshop — linking core technologies with application themes |
| 17:00–17:30 | Day 1 wrap-up and actions |
| 17:30–19:00 | Pizza and posters |
Day 2 — Thematic Applications and Translation
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00–10:00 | Session 4 · Aim 4: Plastics Upcycling — technical progress and bottlenecks (Chair: Valerie Ward) |
| 10:00–10:30 | Coffee break |
| 10:30–11:30 | Session 5 · Aim 5: C1 Waste Conversion — priority challenges and opportunities (Chair: Christian Euler) |
| 11:30–12:30 | Session 6 · Aim 6: Biogenic Waste Valorisation — integration and scaling pathways (Chair: Neil Dixon) |
| 12:30–13:30 | Lunch and posters |
| 15:00–16:00 | Translation and Commercialisation — IP, partnerships and scale-up routes |
| 16:00–16:30 | Education, Outreach and Partnerships (Erin Garza) |
| 16:45–17:30 | Closing Plenary — agreed roadmap and next actions |
| 18:00–20:00 | Evening meal — location TBC |
Important Information for Attendees
Visa and UK Entry Requirements
- Check whether a Standard Visitor visa or UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is required: gov.uk/eta/apply
- Proof of purpose of visit (conference attendance)
- Evidence of funds and intention to leave the UK
- Maximum stay typically up to 6 months
Travel Logistics (Manchester Arrival)
- Primary airport: Manchester Airport (MAN)
- Many direct international flights to MAN, plus connecting flights to hubs (LHR, CDG, AMS)
- Train (20–25 min), taxi (20–40 min), and bus/tram options available
Accommodation
- Maldon Hotel, 60 Charles St, Manchester M1 7DF (mid-range)
- IBIS Hotel, Charles St / Princess St, Manchester M1 7DG (budget)
- Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Oxford St, Manchester M60 7HA (upscale)
Weather and Packing (November)
- Expected temperature ~4°C to 11°C
- Frequent rainfall
- Warm layers and waterproof clothing recommended
Financial and Practical Information
- Currency: British Pound (GBP)
- Cards / contactless widely accepted
- Travel insurance strongly recommended
Health and Safety
- Travel / health insurance advised
- Emergency numbers: 999 (emergency), 111 (non-emergency)
On-site Logistics
- Registration location and opening times
- WiFi access via Eduroam
- Catering arrangements
- Accessibility information
Registration & abstract submission
Registration and abstract submission will open soon.