Susan Sharfstein is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. The focus of her research is understanding the role that culture conditions and cell physiology play in optimization of yield and protein glycosylation for proteins produced from mammalian cells. While at the University of Toledo, Dr. Sharfstein was the recipient of an NSF Career grant for her work on hyperosmotic stress in murine hybridoma cells and laboratory course development for an undergraduate course in bioprocessing. Since joining the faculty at RPI, Dr. Sharfstein received a grant from the Merck Foundation to develop a biotechnology and bioprocessing laboratory for seniors in chemical engineering.