BioConsortia welcomes top scientists to its Science Advisory Board

Date:08-25-2016

BioConsortia Inc., innovator of microbial solutions for natural plant trait enhancement and crop yield improvement, announces that it has further boosted its R&D breadth and expertise with the addition of three world class experts to its Scientific Advisory Board. All three are renowned leaders in their respective fields of research and each brings exceptional experience and knowledge applicable to different aspects of BioConsortia’s AMS (Advanced Microbial Selection) process.

Dr. Stephen Long FRS, is Endowed University Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology in the Institute of Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois and also Professor of Crop Sciences at Lancaster Environment Centre in the UK.  He joined the Company’s SAB in 2015. He is currently the Newton-Abrahams Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford. He also chairs the Royal Society of London sub-committee on Organismal Biology, Ecology and Evolution.  He was listed by Reuters as one of the “Most Influential Minds of 2015”.  He is Chief and Founding Editor of the journal “Global Change Biology”. Since 2012, Dr. Long has served as a Director of the $25M Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation international project on Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE). His research spans from plant molecular biology and in silico crop design to field analysis of the performance of novel bioenergy crops and impacts of atmospheric change on food crops in the field. Thomson ISI has recognized him as one of the most highly cited authors in Plant and Animal Biology and he has been honored with numerous awards for his work in plant biology and ecology.

Dr. Gary Andersen is Head of the Ecology Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Senior Scientist in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, and Adjunct Professor in the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley. His research focus is in the area of microbial ecology, including the examination of phylogenetic diversity in natural environments. He uses molecular approaches to study the dynamics of microbial community structure under changing environmental conditions. Dr. Andersen’s research team was part of the Data Analysis and Coordination Center for the Human Microbiome Project. He has developed numerous microarray systems for measuring microbial diversity and for whole-genome profiling.  Dr. Andersen holds multiple awards for his research, is on the editorial board for a number of top science journals, and has previous experience participating on advisory boards and committees.

Professor Allen Rodrigo is the Director of the Research School of Biology in the Australian National University College of Medicine, Biology and Environment. He was previously Professor of Biology at Duke University and Director of the US National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, a collaborative venture between Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. Professor Rodrigo is a computational evolutionary biologist with expertise in phylogenetic reconstruction, statistical bioinformatics and evolutionary modelling. His recent research is focused on modelling the evolution of microbiomes, and using phylogenetics to study the dynamics of cancerous tumors. He has authored or co-authored over one hundred published papers.

“We are delighted to have attracted to our advisory team such prominent scientists who share our vision of addressing the need for highly effective biological solutions in agriculture. We are working closely with them to identify new opportunities, prioritize our research and development goals and collaborate closely on the strategic direction of the Company.” said Dr. Susan Turner, Sr. Vice President of Research.

Dr. Hong Zhu, who joined the company as Sr. VP of Development and Manufacturing earlier this year, added, “The formation of our SAB serves as an endorsement for the Company's unique technology platform. The distinguished members will work with BioConsortia’s world-class scientific team to bring new perspectives and insights to our work. We are excited to launch this Board and to welcome our new advisors.”