Group Lead

Aaron Wright is a graduate of George Fox University (BS, 2001) and the University of Texas at Austin (PhD, 2006).  At UT, he trained with Dr. Eric Anslyn in chemical sensing, focusing on the development of peptide-based differential sensors for molecules such as hormones and heparin.  He moved to The Scripps Research Institute as a postdoctoral fellow of the California Breast Cancer Research Program in chemical biology with Dr. Benjamin Cravatt.  At Scripps he worked on the development and application of activity-based probes for the cytochrome P450 enzyme family. He moved on to a senior scientist position at the US DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he built a chemical biology and functional omics research program focused on microbiology and became the director of the Biological Systems Science Department.  Simultaneously, he was a research professor in the Gene & Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.  In the Summer of 2022 he moved his group to Baylor University. His research has been funded by numerous federal agencies and private industry.  His research in the gut microbiome led to the formation of Enzymetrics Biosciences in Philadelphia, PA.  He has mentored >70 students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows.  His hobbies include skiing, boating, mountain biking, reading, landscaping, and his kids’ activities.  He and his wife, Janet, have twin teenage sons and a teenage daughter.