Leadership
Dr. Wells has over 25 years of research and leadership experience in academic and industrial biotechnology. Prior to founding ExoPolymer, he was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, served as CTO at Antheia, Inc., and was a senior scientist at DuPont Industrial Biosciences, formerly Genencor, a Danisco Division. His scientific expertise in industry spans protein engineering, metabolic pathway engineering, high throughput screening, automation, molecular biology, and genetic modification of fermentative organisms for the production of valuable target molecules. He is an inventor on 28 issued US patents. Dr. Wells received a BS in Plant Genetics from UC Berkeley, a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF.
Dr. Long and her research group have used genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and imaging to analyze plant-microbe interactions, and have made fundamental discoveries on the chemistry of bacterial gene regulation, cell envelope homeostasis, and cell biology. She is the Wm. C. Steere, Jr. – Pfizer Inc. Professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University, Professor by courtesy in the Department of Biochemistry in the Stanford School of Medicine, and recipient of the 2019 Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology from the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Long received her undergraduate education at the California Institute of Technology. Her PhD is in Cell and Developmental Biology from Yale University, and she carried out postdoctoral training at Harvard University.
Strategic Advisory Board
Ms. Carolyn Fritz is Chairman of the Board of DMC Biotechnologies, a board member of CelluComp Ltd., and a strategic advisor to Brightseed Bio and Holiferm. Ms. Fritz has successfully built four biotechnology businesses. From 2004 - 2014, she built the synthetic biology company, Allylix, from a start-up, raising $34 million in VC funding, developing and commercializing flavor & fragrances and insect repellents to a successful sale of company. While at Dow Chemical, she built a renewable epoxy coating and soy polyol business and a biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing. At Cargill, she built an ag biotech/food technology business focused on functional canola oils for food and industrial markets. Ms. Fritz has her MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, her MS from The George Washington University and her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University.
Dr. Michael Kahn is a Professor in the Institute of Biological Chemistry at Washington State University. He is a world-renowned expert on genetics, biochemistry, and physiology of symbiotic bacteria. During his 50-year scientific career, he has been at the forefront of understanding metabolism, gene regulation, and energy relations in the bacteria-plant interface. In addition to his research leadership, Dr. Kahn was Associate Director of the Washington State University Agricultural Research Center (ARC) and the Agriculture Experiment Station for seven years. He served as program manager for the Department of Energy in the Biological Energy Research (BER) division and was program manager in the USDA competitive grants division for Nitrogen Fixation and Metabolism. He also served as chair of the North American Agricultural Biotechnology Council. Dr. Kahn received his undergraduate education at the California Institute of Technology, graduating with a B.S. in physics, earned his Ph.D. at Stanford University in Biophysics, and was a postdoctoral fellow at U.C. San Diego.
