James J. Barber, Ph.D.
Former President and CEO, Metabolix Inc. |
James Barber served as President and CEO of Metabolix, Inc. from January
2000 to May 2007. During this period, he led the transformation of Metabolix
from a research boutique to a world renowned, highly regarded leader in
“clean tech” and industrial biotechnology, building the company into a
multi-disciplinary, industry leading, publicly traded enterprise. He negotiated
a highly attractive joint venture arrangement with Archer Daniels Midland
for commercializing Metabolix’s first product platform, Mirel natural
plastics, and took the company public in November 2006.
Prior to joining Metabolix, Dr. Barber served as Global Business Director for
the Organometallics and Catalysts business of Albemarle Corporation, with
global P&L responsibility for that $100+ million business, and as
Representative Director of Nippon Aluminum Alkyls, a joint venture Company
between Albemarle and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Before joining Albemarle,
Dr. Barber served as Director of Business Development with Ethyl
Corporation, with responsibility for acquisitions and managing Ethyl’s venture
capital activities; as President of Geltech, Inc., a venture capital backed
Company focused in the area of precision molded micro optics; and as
Chief Operating Officer of Hyperion Catalysis International, a pioneering
developer and producer of carbon nanofibers.
Dr. Barber received the American Chemical Society’s Henry F. Whalen, Jr.
award for Business Development in September 2003. Dr. Barber holds a
B.S. degree in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D.
in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
|
Peter Kovacs
Former President, NutraSweet Kelco Company, and Principal of Kovacs Advisory Group L.L.C. |
Peter Kovacs joined the Kelco Company, a San Diego based
specialty chemicals manufacturer and a Division of Merck & Co. Inc., as
a laboratory chemist in 1967. After a series of domestic and international technical
and business assignments, Mr. Kovacs was appointed President and CEO
of the company in 1993, leading the sale of Kelco to Monsanto in 1994.
He was subsequently chosen to join the Monsanto Operating Council and
to merge the NutraSweet Company with Kelco, forming an $800 million
food ingredient firm, which then became one of the largest industrial
biotechnology companies, the NutraSweet Kelco Company. He served as
President and CEO until his retirement in 1997 after 30 years of service.
In 1997, Mr. Kovacs established an international business advisory practice,
the Kovacs Advisory Group L.L.C., to provide consulting services in
the areas of post merger organizational development; development and
implementation of global growth strategies; acquisition and strategic
partnership development; and transitioning from the start-up phase of
new ventures to growth organizations.
Mr. Kovacs graduated from San Diego State University in 1966 with a
degree in chemistry. He also attended the Stanford University and
INSEAD (Fountainbleau, France) Executive Management Programs. He
is currently serving on the Boards of Trustees of the Desert Research
Institute and the San Diego Natural History Museum.
|
David Stern, Ph.D.
President and Full Scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, and Adjunct Professor of Plant Biology, Cornell University |
David Stern is a leading researcher on nuclear regulation of plant
organelle genes. He studies chloroplast gene regulation in
Chlamydomonas, Arabidopsis, and maize using a variety of approaches.
He joined the Boyce Thompson Institute faculty as an assistant scientist
in 1989, after earning a Ph.D. in biological
sciences at Stanford University in 1986 and completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at
University of California-Berkeley. Previously, he received a
masters degree in biochemistry at Cambridge University.
Dr. Stern is the author or co-author of more than 95 scientific publications
and has served as an editor at the journals Plant Cell and Plant
Molecular Biology. He is currently an editor for Current Genetics, and is
a fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
|
Michael Seibert, Ph.D.
Research Fellow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
Michael Seibert is a photosynthesis expert and one of the foremost
photobiological energy production researchers in the world. Dr. Seibert
co-authored the Plant Physiology article documenting the seminal
discovery of the propensity of sulfur-deprived C. reinhardtii to
photoproduce hydrogen (one of Popular Science’s 10 top discoveries
of 2000).
Dr. Seibert is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science, a United States representative the International Energy
Agency (IEA), and the author of over 180 publications. He holds an
M.S. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biophysics from
the University of Pennsylvania.
|
John W. Finley, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of Food Science, Louisiana State University |
John Finley is a recognized expert in the field of functional foods and
health sciences, serving as the Head of the Department of Food Sciences
at Louisiana State University. Previous to LSU, Dr. Finley was the Chief
Technology Officer of A.M. Todd Co. Dr. Finley came to A.M. Todd from
Kraft Foods, where he developed several low calorie technologies and
satiety enhancing products. Prior to Kraft, Dr. Finley lead the food science
program at Monsanto, focusing on delivery of intense sweeteners and
reduced calorie ingredient development, and initiated a program to
produce low calorie fats in engineered plants. Dr. Finley also worked at
Nabisco, where he assembled and led the Fundamental Science program
which resulted in multiple innovations and technologies to support the
Nabisco businesses.
Dr. Finley’s research interests include low calorie ingredients, anti-
inflammatory compounds in the diet, and modified lipids. He has authored
over 100 technical publications, edited eleven books, and holds 47 patents.
Currently he is an associate editor for the Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry. Dr. Finley holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Le Moyne College
and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Food Science from Cornell University.
|
Robert J. Linhardt, Ph.D.
Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
Robert Linhardt is internationally known for his research on the study of bioactive carbohydrates, particularly the complex polysaccharide heparin.
An active contributor to professional publications, Dr. Linhardt has served
on the editorial board of such top journals as the Journal of Biological
Chemistry, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, and the Journal
of Carbohydrate Chemistry. He has published more than 400 research
papers and holds 35 patents.
The many honors Dr. Linhardt has received include the Claude S.
Hudson Award from the American Chemical Society (2003), the Volweiler
Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences (1999), the
Horace S. Isbell Award from The Carbohydrate Division of the American
Chemical Society (1994), the Iowa Regents Award for Faculty Excellence
(1992), and the University of Iowa Excellence in Teaching Award (1989).
Dr. Linhardt earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from The Johns Hopkins
University, an M.A. in Organic Chemistry from The Johns Hopkins
University, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Marquette University.
|
Elizabeth H. Harris, Ph.D.
Director, Chlamydomonas Genetics Center, Duke University |
Elizabeth Harris is one of the world’s foremost authorities on unicellular
green algae. Dr. Harris has worked with green algae since 1972 and is
currently the Director of the Chlamydomonas Genetics Center at Duke
University, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Harris is one of the principal investigators on the Chlamydomonas
Genome Project of the Joint Genome Initiative of the U.S. Department
of Energy.
Dr. Harris has authored over 35 scientific publications and literally "wrote
the book" on Chlamydomonas. Her book, The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook
(Academic Press, 1989), is an exhaustive review of the organism and is
the most widely cited scientific authority on Chlamydomonas. Dr. Harris
received a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Yale University and performed
postdoctoral research at Duke University.
|
David Chapman, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara |
David Chapman is a highly respected veteran phycologist who studies
the biochemistry, physiology, and acclimation responses of algae and
phytoplankton as well as biosynthesis and function of algal natural products.
Dr. Chapman’s experience in manipulation of algae, which spans 5 decades,
includes analysis of nutraceutical, medical diagnostic, and industrial algal
natural products. Some of his current projects include studying adaptive
carotenoid pigment systems and the xanthophyll cycle, ultra high cell
density photobioreactors, extracellular carbohydrates, algal phytohormones,
and novel uses for algal materials.
Dr. Chapman has published over 100 articles in peer reviewed journals
and has served on the editorial boards of many phycological journals.
Dr. Chapman has published both research publications and book chapters
discussing the economic uses of numerous algal species, including in
Biology of Economic Algae (Ed. I. Akatsuka, The Hague. Netherlands.
(1994)). He was previously the Dean of the Mathematical, Life, and
Physical Sciences Division of the University of California, Santa Barbara,
and prior to that he was a faculty member at UCLA and the University of
Chicago. Dr. Chapman received a Ph.D. in Marine Biology at the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography.
|
Daniel P. Geller
Research Engineer, Faculty of Engineering, Driftmier Engineering Center, University of Georgia |
Daniel Geller is a faculty engineer in the University of Georgia’s
engineering outreach program. He has over 10 years experience in
biodiesel and biofuels research and has published numerous papers on
the subject. His research includes the development of alternative
feedstocks for the biodiesel industry in the southeast and exploring value
added uses for biodiesel and its byproducts. Additionally, Mr. Geller is
working on the use of bio-oil as a biodiesel/diesel fuel extender.
Mr. Geller has been closely involved in the establishment of over 30 million gallons
per year of biodiesel production in the state of Georgia and serves as the
technical director of the University of Georgia Biodiesel Workshops. Mr. Geller holds a B.S in Biochemistry and a M.S. in Biological Engineering
from the University of Georgia.
|
Howard Maibach, M.D.
Professor, Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco |
Howard Maibach is a recognized expert in the field of dermatotoxicology (the toxicity to man from skin exposure) and dermatopharmacology
(the treatment of skin diseases). His current research programs include
defining the chemical-biologic faces of irritant dermatitis and the study
of percutaneous penetration. He joined UCSF as Assistant Professor in
1961, became Associate Professor in 1967, and Professor in 1973.
Dr. Maibach has been on the editorial boards of over 30 scientific journals
and is a member of 19 professional societies, including the American
Academy of Dermatology, San Francisco Dermatological Society, and
the International Commission on Occupational Health. Dr. Maibach
received his A.B. degree in 1950 and M.D. in 1955 from Tulane University,
New Orleans. His bibliography includes more than 2100 publications.
|
Jan Jaworski, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research, Full Member and Principal Investigator, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center |
Jan Jaworski is a leading researcher in plant oils and seed biology. His current area of interest includes the use of biotechnology to alter the metabolism of oilseeds to produce useful chemicals such as functionalized fatty acids, wax esters, and biodegradable plastics. His research also includes the use of oilseeds as feed stock for BioDiesel. These studies involve examining alternative plant sources as well as engineering seed metabolism to increase the amount of oil produced by seeds.
Dr. Jaworski received a BA in Chemistry from the College of the Holy Cross in 1968 and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1972. Following postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis, he joined the faculty of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department of Miami University in 1974. In 2002, he moved to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St Louis to pursue research full time.
|
