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Dr. Paul Ulanch is the Executive Director of the Crop Commercialization Program at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center where he facilitates value-add opportunities to improve crops that result in increased profits for NC growers and strengthens the state’s agribusinesses. Many projects add value to the greater Southeast. Current project work is pursuing increasing feed grain production in the Mid-Atlantic region to sustain North Carolina’s production animal industry, optimize parameters for growing cellulosic biomass grasses to sustain a high-value chemicals industry, scale the use of winter oilseeds as a way to improve wheat production and attract specialty oil markets, and explore niche specialty crops that can be deployed at scale for food ingredients. He served as the Enterprise & Technology Development Director where he led efforts to support ag biotech entrepreneurs, enable partnership development, and assist companies locating to North Carolina.
He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University where he developed a process to accelerate construction of physical genome maps, and MBA from the Katz Executive Program at the University of Pittsburgh, with Beta Gamma Sigma honors. He served as Director of Technology Commercialization at the NC SBTDC and research faculty at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, and consulted for and advised industry, commodity groups, and non-profits in areas of science, marketing, and intellectual property.
With over 25 years of research management experience, Bob leads Vestaron’s molecular biology and chemistry development teams. Management positions in Fortune 500 companies (Pfizer), academic appointments (Columbia, Michigan) and start-ups add to the leadership and technical experience he brings to Vestaron’s Research and Development success.
Joshua Haslun is an Analyst on the Agro Innovation team at Lux Research. In this role he monitors and evaluates emerging and innovative agricultural technologies from sectors including crop genetic improvement, precision agriculture, and soil microbiome management to drive future innovations, while navigating challenging regulatory frameworks.
Joshua has extensive experience across numerous scientific disciplines including quantitative genomics and transcriptomics, immunology, isotope systematics, and microbial ecology. Prior to joining Lux, Joshua was a Research Associate for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at Michigan State University, where he developed methods to apportion nitrogen losses among diverse soil microbial processes, fostering soil microbiome management methods to improve biofuel feedstock production.
Joshua obtained a dual-degree Ph.D. in Integrative Biology and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior from Michigan State University and has contributed more than 13 publications to top peer-reviewed journals on diverse subjects. He also holds a B.S. in Biology from Siena College, and an M.S. in Biology specializing in Marine Science from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi.
Biography Coming Soon
Melissa Johnson is the leader of Formulation Science & Technology at Corteva Agriscience. Her team is responsible for development, scale-up and launch of innovative formulated products to meet the needs of crop protection markets globally. She has over 15 years of research and leadership experience in formulations and formulation ingredients across industries, including Agriculture, Coatings, Personal Care, and Microbial Control. Melissa holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University.
Deanna (Dee) Colby, Ph.D., Acting Chief Invertebrate & Vertebrate Branch 3, U.S. EPA Office of Pesticide Programs
Dee Colby currently serves as the Acting Chief for the Invertebrate & Vertebrate Branch 3 in the Registration Division of the U.S. EPA Office of Pesticide Programs. She joined the Registration Division in 2016 as an Entomologist where she worked as a Risk Manager for conventional chemicals and Efficacy Reviewer as a subject matter expert for pesticide products used against social insects. In 2019, Dee became a Senior Regulatory Specialist/Entomologist and her work focused on special assignments related to registration and efficacy, including pollinator issues. Additionally, Dee acted as a liaison with other Federal Agencies on jurisdiction matters around products for use in hives, devices and companion animal issues.
Dee has over 25 years of experience studying social insects and holds advanced degrees in Education, Entomology and Plant Pathology. Her research includes red imported fire ant and Formosan termite projects that integrated methods (e.g., cultural, biological, chemical, and emerging biotechnologies) for controlling these pests in agricultural fields, natural habitats, and urban landscapes. Other research focused on improvement of honey bee stocks for sustainable solutions to pathogens.
Raviv Itzhaky is the Co-Founder and CTO of Prospera Technologies, leading the company’s technical vision of transforming the way food is grown using data science and AI. He uses his expertise in algorithm development, mathematics and machine learning to solve real-world problems. Prior to Prospera, Raviv developed algorithms at cybersecurity company BioCatch, and served as a Signal Processing Engineer with the IDF. He holds a BSc in Physics and MSc in Applied Physics from The Hebrew University.
Dr. Natalie Hummel recently joined UPL as Global Head of New Ag Technologies (NAT). In this role she leads the scientists at the OpenAg Center at 5 Labs and teams in France and Mexico. The UPL NAT team is collaborating with many partners to bring novel solutions to growers around the world. Natalie has more than 15 years of industry experience at the USDA, Land Grant Universities and Private Industry. Prior to joining UPL, she was the US Development Leader at ADAMA, the Director of Research Stations & University Field Labs at NC State University CALS, Global Project Leader & Product Development Manager at Bayer CropScience working in the North American and Global Headquarters. Natalie began her career as the Rice Extension Entomologist at the LSU AgCenter where she had the pleasure of working directly with growers to adopt IPM practices. A graduate of UC Davis, she is driven to create economically and environmentally sound agricultural solutions for farmers by leveraging partnerships and understanding customer needs to build innovative solutions. She and her husband live in NC and enjoy gardening, sawmilling, building things and caring for a flock of hens, a one-eyed cat named Tony and a Boxer named Desi.
Bio Coming Soon
As a Principal with 17+ years of intellectual property law experience, Leanne Rakers’ technical skill ranges from chemistry to biotechnology. Her client portfolio includes large and small pharmaceutical, life science, chemical, biotechnology, biofuels, cosmetics, and food processing companies.
Dr. Goldman is a results-driven genomic scientist and entrepreneur with a passion for developing innovative, self-directed people and teams that deliver superior results. As Chief Science Officer, Goldman develops scientific strategy for the next generation of microbial discovery at Pluton. Prior to founding Pluton, Goldman led the microbial testing pipeline for Indigo Ag and served as the Microbial Discovery Lead for Monsanto Company. He has a Bachelor of Science in Botany from the University of Washington and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Utah. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed studies and is an inventor on more than 10 patents.
Aether Industries (based in Surat, Gujarat, India) is a leading manufacturer of advanced intermediates and active ingredients for the pharmaceutical, material science, agrochemical, electronic chemical, and fine / speciality chemical industries.
Production capacity of 1000’s MT is available in our state-of-art and DCS automated manufacturing facilities. Aether is also a leading CRAMS (contract research and manufacturing services) provider, built upon technology intensive and state-of-art R&D and pilot plant facilities. All of our R&D, pilot, CRAMS, and large scale manufacturing facilities are capable of switching between batch and continuous process technology.
Aether is based on a core competency model of cutting-edge chemistry and technology competencies.
Aether’s business models include large-scale manufacturing, contract / toll manufacturing, contract research, technology development, and FTE services.
The ag industry needs flexible solutions to access expert advice like never before. AGvisorPRO the Connectivity Channel for Agriculture. With the AGvisorPRO app, we provide farmers, ranchers, and agri-businesses with a seamless way to connect with ag industry experts. Join AGvisorPRO’s fast growing network of ag experts provide support for agronomy, crop protection, markets, mental health, animal health, feed, farm real-estate, insurance, succession planning, and mechanical support for ag equipment. Download the AGvisorPRO app for free on both Apple and Android devices.
Knoell USA, LLC is a contract research organization serving the regulated scientific communities. Founded in 2001, knoell USA provides technical scientific support, regulatory consultation, dossier preparation and publishing, and analytical laboratory services. Knoell USA is part of the global family of knoell companies.
Our services at a glance:
» Strategic regulatory consulting
» Project management
» Federal, state, and worldwide registrations for biopesticides, biostimulants, fertilizers, soil amendments and conventional pesticides
» Study design, monitoring, and management (lab and field)
» Dossier compilation, technical writing, and publishing
» Environmental exposure & risk assessment
» Human and dietary safety
» Label preparation and amendments
» Tolerance & MRL assessments
» Laboratory: residue, E-fate, 5-batch testing
» Quality assurance and QA consulting
» Liaising with US and Canadian federal and state authorities
» Customized services at your site
For further information visit www.knoellUSA.com
