Patrick Shih

Research Bio

Patrick Shih is a synthetic biologist whose research explores how plants and microbes can be harnessed for biotechnology. He is an Associate Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley, Director of Plant Biosystems Design at the Joint BioEnergy Institute, and a Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research is focused on two major areas of research: 1) developing synthetic biology approaches to enable complex engineering in plant systems for applications in agriculture, sustainability, human health, and bioenergy and 2) elucidating the origins and evolution of photosynthesis and carbon fixation.

Research Expertise and Interest

synthetic biology, plant biology, microbiology, evolutionary biology

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Teaching

Courses taught during the three most recent semesters
2026 Spring 2025 Fall