Expert Profile
A ***** nology professional with 23, years serving the bioenergy, bioproducts and agricultural ***** nology sectors. My specialty is the interface between technology and business development. Areas of expertise include: competitive intelligence, opportunity analysis, due diligence, technology assessment, strategic planning, research targeting, partnering, patent landscape and freedom-to-operate analysis. I have worked with clients across a wide range of biofuel applications including: renewable biofuels and chemicals from algae using synthetic biology; development of dedicated energy crops; cellulosic ethanol technology; biomass logistics; and fuel pellet manufacture and export.
Prior to starting my consulting business I was the Chief Scientist of a company that developed non-destructive, high throughput plant root imaging systems. I directed R&D, collaborations and expanded the customer base to include large agricultural ***** companies. I was also responsible for developing a soil-free growth medium that improved product performance and enhanced image quality. I created enabling technology in image data extraction and wrote a commercialization plan for company flagship product.
I worked in the forest ***** sector directing an international gene discovery program and developed product leads that doubled tree growth rate and improved lignin composition. I managed licensing, collaborative research, competitive intelligence reviews, university-industry partnerships and am an inventor on 19 patents.
***** ***** LLC, Principal and Owner. Expertise in agricultural *****nology product development, due diligence, competitive intelligence, project management and intellectual property support.
Phenotype Screening Corporation, Chief Scientist.
ArborGen LLC, Senior Scientist.
MeadWestvaco Corporation, Senior Scientist.
PhD Biochemistry, Purdue University.
MS Botany, North Carolina State University.
BS *****nology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
SC Bio
South Carolina Biomass Council
Charleston Chamber of Commerce EXECnet
• Working with a synthetic biology company to identify new markets and applications for biofuels and renewable chemicals.
• Wrote a series of white papers for an agricultural *****nology company detailing technical issues and strategy for developing biomass-to-power applications, fuel pellets, biomass logistics and high-value products.
• Providing technical analysis and market due diligence for a project that will establish a wood pellet manufacturing for export to the European Union.
• Developed strategy for Jamaican sugar producers to improve biomass production and utilization with a focus for generating excess electricity for export to national electric grid.
• Developed R&D plan for Jamaican Ministry of Energy and Mining to produce woody crops for biomass-to-power operations.
• Providing intellectual property support to agricultural *****nology companies by carrying out freedom-to-operate evaluation, patent landscape analysis, and patentability assessment.
• Performed feasibility study for the South Carolina Biomass Council to establish a biomass research and education center in partnership with Clemson University for support of business development in the biomass sector.