Biosynthesis of fossil fuel substitutes and pharmaceuticals represents an extreme engineering challenge, demanding the invention of new technologies to achieve high producing strains that can be scaled-up to industrial fermentation. New technologies include, but are not limited to 1) design and control of metabolic pathways at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels, 2) modeling approaches for improving pathway flux or production strain characteristics, 3) engineered biosensors, 4) automated cloning and strain development technologies, 5) novel directed evolution strategies for improved enzyme and pathway performance, and 6) improved strategies for overcoming problems related to scale-up. Papers describing the successful demonstration of microbe, pathway, and enzyme engineering strategies to enable or enhance production of fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals for potential industrial applications are particularly encouraged.

Bioengineering