Rate My Professor Susan Roberts

Susan Roberts serves as Affiliate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, with additional affiliations in Biology & Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1992 and her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University in 1998. Following her doctoral studies, Roberts joined the University of Massachusetts Amherst as faculty in Chemical Engineering, advancing to full Professor and serving as Director of the Institute for Cellular Engineering over her 17-year tenure there. In 2015, she moved to WPI as Professor and Head of the Chemical Engineering Department, a position she held until August 2025.

Roberts specializes in biochemical engineering, with research centered on plant specialized metabolism and the development of engineered plant cell culture systems for synthesizing high-value clinical and industrial molecules. Her laboratory has pioneered advancements in biomanufacturing, notably a genetic engineering approach that enhances production of the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel in Taxus cell cultures, potentially doubling yields and reducing costs, as highlighted in media coverage by the Worcester Business Journal and Telegram & Gazette. Supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and industry, her work explores cellular and metabolic engineering, biotechnology, and cell encapsulation technologies. Key publications include "Methyl Jasmonate Represses Growth and Affects Cell Cycle Progression in Cultured Taxus Cells" (Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2014), "Recent Advances Towards Development and Commercialization of Plant Cell Culture Processes for the Synthesis of Biomolecules" (Plant Cell Reports, 2011), and "The Interface Amongst Conserved and Specialized Pathways in Non-Paclitaxel and Paclitaxel Accumulating Taxus Cultures" (Metabolites, 2021). Roberts has also contributed to equity initiatives in STEM through ADVANCE programs and served as co-PI on WPI's President's Research Catalyst Grants.