Lina Qin is a Philomathia Postdoctoral Fellow in the Energy Biosciences Institute. She obtained her doctorate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her doctoral dissertation research focused on the synthesis and secretion mechanisms of the cellulase cellobiohydrolase I (CBH1) in Trichoderma reesei and development of T. reesei as a highly efficient expression and protein production host.

Lina currently works with Professor N. Louise Glass on a project using system biology strategies to define the mechanism of plant cell wall deconstruction by the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. She is currently focusing on deciphering the regulatory interaction between the SREBP pathway and the protein trafficking machinery based on a series of hyper-secretion mutants in which SREBP pathway is defective. Understanding the mechanism underlying the hyper-secretion phenotype will contribute to rationally engineering lignocellulolytic filamentous fungi to more efficiently secrete enzymes and proteins, reducing the expense in production of biofuels and specialty chemicals from lignocellulosic material.