Scientific Advisory Board

Great Lakes Bioenergy’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consists of industry and academic representatives with expertise spanning all three of the center’s research areas. The SAB provides critical insight and strategies that help guide the direction of Great Lakes Bioenergy’s research.

David Ryder

Scientific Advisory Board Chair

Formerly a brewer and executive at MillerCoors and Stella Artois, Ryder has spent his career in fermentation research. He also brings unique perspectives to large-scale fermentation technology and bioethanol production from his experience with one of the largest biorefining companies in the country. He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and the University of Brussels in Belgium.

Larry Anthony

Larry Anthony

Scientific Advisory Board Member

With the Butamax joint venture between DuPont and BP, Anthony oversees a multimillion dollar R&D Services Agreement for Biobutanol biocatalyst and fermentation development. He is responsible for clarifying the business objectives, prioritizing deliverables for the Biobutanol biocatalyst development program, and developing and executing workplans. Anthony also oversees the R&D intellectual property portfolio and maintains alignment with business needs. He holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jerry Gargulak

Jerry Gargulak

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Gargulak joined Borregaard in 1995 when he assumed the position of research manager at LignoTech's US operation center in Rothschild, Wis. He has worked to develop useful modifications to natural materials, particularly lignin, with the goal of developing new industrial applications for this biopolymer. His current responsibilities include investigating new opportunities related to the development of value added materials derived from bio-refining of lignocellulosics. Gargulak earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Steve Hartig

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Hartig is vice president of technology development at ICM, a leader in the development of technology for biofuels. His 35 years of experience leading global businesses at DSM and DuPont in biofuels, coatings, resins, biomedical materials and polymers gives him an excellent understanding of the importance of technology as a basis for innovation and commercial business success. Hartig studied chemical engineering at the University of Michigan.

Ken keegstra

Ken Keegstra

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Keegstra is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory at Michigan State University and served as scientific director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center during its first nine years of funding. He also holds appointments in the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Plant Biology at Michigan State University. He earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Miller

Bruno Miller

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Miller is the managing director of fuels at Fulcrum Bioenergy, a pioneer in the development of a reliable and efficient process for transforming everyday household garbage into low-carbon transportation fuels, including jet fuel and diesel. He is responsible for directing Fulcrum's fuels activities including sales, contract negotiation and management, strategic relationships with the aviation industry, logistics, fuel quality, and regulatory affairs. Miller holds a Ph.D. in air transportation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Debra Mohnen

Debra Mohnen

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Mohnen is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Georgia. She has served on the Committee on the Status of Women in Plant Physiology of the American Society of Plant Physiologists and was an invited faculty sponsor for the UGA Association for Women in Science (AWIS). She is past member-at-large in the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division of the American Chemical Society, and past member of the Council for Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division in the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy. She earned her Ph.D. in plant biology from the University of Illinois.

Gerard Ostheimer

Gerry Ostheimer

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Ostheimer supports the UN Sustainable Energy for All Initiative by serving as the Global Lead for Sustainable Bioenergy. Working with diverse international partners, such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Renewable Energy Agency, he promotes the development and deployment of sustainable bioenergy solutions. Ostheimer has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Oregon.

W. Michael Sanford

W. Michael Sanford

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Mike Sanford serves as the Director of Engineering for Prisma Renewable Composites, a Tennessee-based company focused on producing materials such as plastics and carbon fibers containing substantial amounts of lignocellulosic biomass. He is responsible for managing the company's research and development interactions and collaborations, including sponsored research agreements. Before joining Prisma, Sanford led DuPont’s efforts in developing technology to convert lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol from 2006 to 2017.

Blake Simmons

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Simmons serves as the chief scientific and technology officer and vice president of the Deconstruction Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in Emeryville. He earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Tulane University.

Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Singh is a Distinguished Professor of Bioprocessing in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Director of Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research is on development of bioprocessing technologies for corn/biomass to ethanol, advanced biofuels, food and industrial products. Singh directs or co-directs more than $116 million in research, and has authored 165 peer-reviewed journal articles and 70 other publications. He earned a Ph.D. in food and bioprocess engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Paris Tsobanakis

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Tsobanakis is a technical manager in Cargill's Engineering R&D (Corporate Research). He has worked for Cargill since 1993 in R&D management roles and contributed to the development of a number of fermentation products in the Food and Bio-industrials space. Since 2011, he has been leading Cargill's efforts in Disruptive Technologies and Supply Chains, helping Cargill businesses make investments in key technologies and projects. Tsobanakis received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from NTU Athens (Greece) and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University.

Wheeler photo

Candace Wheeler

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Wheeler recently retired as a technical fellow with 34 years of experience from General Motors. Since her retirement, she has been consulting on energy, vehicle technologies and systems, life cycle analysis, sustainable mobility, biofuels, and biobased materials development. She continues to participate in a variety of biofuels/bioproduct activities and boards including the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems, and the Great Lakes Leadership Academy.