Scientific Advisory Board

Steve Csonka is executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), a coalition of airlines, manufacturers, energy producers, researchers, and government agencies working to develop and deploy sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for commercial aviation. With more than 35 years of experience with commercial aircraft engines and fuels, he holds a master’s degree in propulsion and combustion engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to joining CAAFI in 2012, Csonka worked in operations engineering and fleet management for American Airlines and later directed environmental strategy for GE Aerospace.

Jerry Gargulak is business development director for Borregaard, a manufacturer of biofuels and biochemicals that can replace petroleum-based products. Utilizing the different components of wood, Borregaard produces biopolymers, specialty cellulose, biovanillin, cellulose fibrils and bioethanol for a variety of applications in sectors such as agriculture and aquaculture, construction, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, foodstuffs, batteries, and biofuels. With a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Minnesota, Gargulak joined the company in 1995 and has worked on lignin technology, capital project realization, and market-focused innovations.

Steve Hartig is a consultant with nearly 40 years of experience in growing and transforming international specialty businesses through innovation, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and organic growth. Hartig previously served as vice president of technology development at ICM Biofuels, a leader in the development of technology for biofuels. He has been a member of the GLBRC scientific advisory board since 2015 and serves on the strategic advisory board of Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Madhu Khanna is the ACES Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also serves as associate director of research at the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. Khanna is the leader of the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation’s sustainability research area, which is providing the environmental and economic perspective for developing efficient bioenergy crops. Her research focuses on motivations for producers to adopt innovative technologies to meet demands for food and fuel. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Debra Mohnen is a distinguished research professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Georgia Athletic Association Professor of the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia. Mohnen was the focus area lead for Biomass Formation and Modification in the Bioenergy Science Center from 2011 to 2017 and has been the research domain lead for Integrative Analysis and Understanding in the Center for Bioenergy Innovation since 2017. She holds a Ph.D. in plant biology from the University of Illinois.

Joanne Morello has more than 13 years of experience working on decarbonization of the heavy-duty transportation sector through management of renewable fuels research and commercialization programs. Joanne is a sustainable fuels analyst with GE Aerospace Research. Prior to joining GE she worked for Northrop Grumman, where she served as the lead technical advisor to the US Air Force on SAF and helped manage a large public-private commercialization project. She previously served as a technology manager with the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office and holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Lisa Schulte Moore is a professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and associate director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. She conducts research and teaches in the areas of agriculture, ecology, forestry and human-landscape interactions. Her research addresses the strategic integration of perennials into agricultural landscapes to support new agricultural markets and to meet societal goals for clean water, healthy soils, abundant wildlife and inspiring recreational opportunities. Moore earned a Ph.D. in forestry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Blake Simmons serves as the Chief Scientific and Technology Officer and vice president of the Deconstruction Division at the US Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in Emeryville. Simmons worked as part of the senior management team at Sandia National Laboratories for 15 years, most recently serving as the senior manager of advanced biomanufacturing as well as the biomass program manager. Simmons teaches at the University California-Berkeley and the University of Queensland in Australia. He holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Tulane University.

Sneha Srikrishnan is a director of growth and business operations at Ginkgo Bioworks, where she previously served as a senior director of technology for enzyme and protein production. She previously worked on production of isobutanol from yeasts at Gevo. She has over a decade of industrial experience in successfully delivering synthetic biology-based solutions within the nutrition, sustainable fuels, waste valorization and environmental remediation areas. Sneha graduated with a bachelors in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and earned her Ph.D. in chemical and biochemical engineering from the University of California, Irvine.

Paris Tsobanakis is the director of transformational innovation at Cargill, where he has worked since 1993, contributing to the development of a number of fermentation products in the food and bio-industrials space. From 2011 to 2020, Tsobanakis led Cargill’s efforts in disruptive technologies and supply chains, helping Cargill businesses make investments in key technologies and projects. Tsobanakis received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from NTU Athens (Greece) and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Lehigh University.