Sep 2025 – Present · 8 mos

Jun 2025 – Aug 2025 · 2 mos · Arlington, Virginia, United States · On-site

• Generating awareness of the national strategic importance of food biomanufacturing as a key element of the defense bioindustrial base through a suite of presentations, conversations, and events to foster connections between emerging food technology innovators and the national security, defense, and defense industrial base communities.

Mar 2025 – Present · 1 yr 2 mos · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

May 2024 – Present · 2 yrs

• Serving in a volunteer advisory capacity on an ad hoc basis for ongoing technical analysis projects at GFI and ongoing mentoring of previous team members.

Jun 2023 – May 2024 · 11 mos

• Grew the Science & Technology team to 24 people, including mentoring up to 7 direct reports. Oversaw strategic planning and budgeting (max $7.8M annual budget).
• Worked with Bezos Earth Fund as the implementation partner for the evaluation process and launch of three $30M centers of excellence and a $10M grand challenge for AI in alt proteins.
• Led collaboration with affiliated Science and Technology team members in Brazil, Europe, Israel and the Asia-Pacific region and faciliated cross functional partnerships with GFI's Policy & Corporate Engagement teams.
• Co-authored technical analyses and presented to thousands of stakeholders across private sector (including C-suite execs in global food and ag companies), government, philanthropy, and academia.

Jun 2021 – Jun 2023 · 2 yrs

Dec 2020 – Jun 2021 · 6 mos

Apr 2019 – Dec 2020 · 1 yr 8 mos

• Established and led a team focused on technology analysis within the GFI Science & Technology department. Conceptualized and co-authored analyses and forecast to identify current and anticipated future bottlenecks to scaling.
• Engaged with a broad range of stakeholders from the private and public sector to advise on challenges and opportunities within the alternative protein landscape. Served as the primary relationship manager and project lead for a deep dive on alternative seafood with a key donor, which then became an internal initiative with dedicated staff.

Jun 2016 – Apr 2019 · 2 yrs 10 mos

• Published analyses of the critical technology and knowledge gaps as well as pathways toward cost reduction for key areas within cultivated meat and plant-based proteins.
• Articulated fermentation as a new pillar within alternative proteins and illustrated similarities and differences from parallel sector use cases for precision and biomass fermentation.
• Educated grant-funding agencies and performed scientific due diligence assessments for VCs to mobilize public and private research funding toward alternative proteins.
• Engaged with the scientific community via dozens of conference presentations, guest lectures, and individual meetings to persuade professionals to dedicate themselves towards this area of urgent need, and fostering a network of contacts with scientific expertise in all related fields.
• Represented GFI in Y Combinator's summer 2018 batch, alongside founder Bruce Friedrich.

Oct 2018 – Present · 7 yrs 7 mos

• Occasional lecturer and expert advisor in the areas of biotechnology, food, and agriculture, with a particular focus on alternative proteins and the future of food. I have spoken at Singularity Executive Programs, on contracts with clients in multiple countries, and at specialized programs on biotechnology.

Oct 2014 – Jun 2016 · 1 yr 8 mos · Boulder, CO

• Designed a synthetic biology-based biosensor platform intended for diagnostic capability in
• low-resource or remote settings where sophisticated lab equipment is not available, for example
• for global health applications or field testing for hazards or contaminants.
• Conducted scientific outreach through CU Science Discovery to engage and energize local middle
• and high school students about biotechnology.
• Completed coursework toward a graduate certification in Science & Technology Policy in survey
• methodology and science communications.

Mar 2011 – Jun 2013 · 2 yrs 3 mos · La Jolla, CA

• Developed a complete lab-based curriculum on bioengineering and served as the lead instructor for four summer courses for Academic Connections and Upward Bound. Served as teaching assistant for undergraduate courses including Introduction to Bioenergy, Recombinant DNA Technology Laboratory, and Human Nutrition.
• I was also the head teaching assistant and primary author of the lab manual for a new continuing education lab course on algae offered through UC San Diego Extension for people seeking to transition into the green energy workforce.

Sep 2009 – May 2014 · 4 yrs 8 mos · La Jolla, CA

• Ph.D. researcher in Dr. Steve Mayfield's lab. Developed genetic engineering tools for microalgae to improve protein expression and site-specific genome targeting for biofuels and global health applications.
• Co-authored nine publications, with lead authorship on five, and completed first within my degree cohort. In parallel, I served as a teaching consultant for the UCSD Center for Teaching Development and volunteered with multiple science outreach initiatives in local middle and high schools.

May 2008 – Aug 2009 · 1 yr 3 mos · Hubli, India, and Mumbai, India · On-site

• Worked on-site for a total of seven months with an interdisciplinary group of UC Berkeley undergraduates and graduate students on water quality testing, training local Indian university students to continue tests for longitudinal studies, and conducting household surveys for an epidemiological study of water access and disease.

Sep 2006 – May 2009 · 2 yrs 8 mos · Baltimore, MD

• Gray Lab, JHU Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Synthesized and purified rationally designed novel peptides and analyzed binding affinities and surface-catalyzed structural transitions. Technical skills included peptide synthesis, mass spectrometry, HPLC, circular dichroism spectroscopy, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.