System and method of producing a dimethylcyclooctane-based aviation fuel from isoprene includes culturing a genetically engineered microbe under suitable conditions to produce a first product including isoprene, dimerizing, using a transition metal-based catalyst, isoprene to form a second product including dimethylcyclooctadiene, and hydrogenating, using a hydrogenation catalyst, dimethylcyclooctadiene to form a third product including dimethylcyclooctane, wherein the genetically engineered microbe includes a heterologous nucleic acid construct encoding a peptide, the peptide having an activity configured to contribute to an enhanced production of isoprene.