Advisory Board
MEET OUR ADVISORS
• Dr. David Stern, President and Full Scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, and Adjunct Professor of Plant Biology at Cornell University
Dr. 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 completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at University of California-Berkeley and earning a Ph.D. in biological sciences at Stanford University in 1986. Prior to that 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.
• Dr. James J. Barber Former President and CEO of Metabolix Inc.
Dr. 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, MirelTM natural plastics, and took the company public in November 2006.
Prior to joining Metabolix, he 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, 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 of the NutraSweet Kelco Company, Principal of Kovacs Advisory Group L.L.C.
In 1967, Peter Kovacs joined the Kelco Company, a San Diego based specialty chemicals manufacturer and a Division of Merck & Co. Inc., as a laboratory chemist. After a series of domestic and international technical and business assignments, Kovacs was appointed President and CEO of the company in 1993. Kovacs led 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, 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.
Kovacs graduated from San Diego State University in 1966 with a degree in chemistry. He also attended the Stanford University and ENSIAD (Fountainbleu, 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.
• Dr. Michael Seibert, Research Fellow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden CO.
Dr. 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, is a United States representative the International Energy Agency (IEA), and is 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.
• Professor John W. Finley, Head of the Department of Food Science, Louisiana State University
Dr. Finley is a recognized expert in the field of functional foods that enhance heath and wellness. 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. At Monsanto, he was the leader of the food science program which was focused on delivery of intense sweeteners and reduced calorie ingredient development. He also initiated a program to produce low calorie fats in engineered plants. At Nabisco Dr Finley 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.
• Professor Robert J. Linhardt, Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Dr. Linhardt is internationally known for his research on the study of bioactive carbohydrates, particularly the complex polysaccharide heparin. An active contributor to professional publications, 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.
Among the many honors 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., Organic Chemistry, from The Johns Hopkins University, 1979 an M.A., Organic Chemistry, from The Johns Hopkins University, 1977 and a B.S., Chemistry, from Marquette University, 1975.
• Dr. Elizabeth H. Harris, Director, Chlamydomonas Genetics Center, Duke University
Dr. 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.
• Dr. David Chapman, Professor of Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara
Dr. 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 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, Geller is working on the use of bio-oil as a biodiesel/diesel fuel extender. Daniel has been closely involved in the establishment of over 30 million gallons per year of biodiesel production in the state of Georgia and he 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.
• Professor Howard Maibach M.D., Professor in the Department of Dermatology in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, California
Dr. 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 both from Tulane University, New Orleans. His bibliography includes more than 2100 publications.
