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.

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

Steve Hartig is a former senior executive with nearly 40 years of experience in growing and transforming international specialty businesses through innovation, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and organic growth. Prior to his retirement and shift to consulting, Hartig was the vice president of technology development at ICM, a leader in the development of technology for biofuels.

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 served as president of the American Society of Plant Biologists and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Madhu Khanna

Madhu Khanna

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Madhu Khanna is the ACES Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Illinois and Associate Director for Research at Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. Khanna is the leader of the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation's (CABBI) sustainability research area, which is providing the environmental and economic perspective for developing efficient bioenergy crops.

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

Dr. Ostheimer is the co-founder and Global Strategic Officer for Global Biofuture Solutions, Inc. providing leadership to address the growing need to rapidly create a low carbon bioeconomy by developing and managing a suite of high quality tools and services that can accelerate rapid deployment both domestically and internationally. Previously, he served as the Global Lead for Sustainable Bioenergy for Sustainable Energy for All. Working with diverse international partners, like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, International Energy Agency, and the International Renewable Energy Agency, he promoted the development and deployment of sustainable bioenergy solutions through knowledge sharing, policy support, and deployment support.

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.

Lisa Schulte Moore

Lisa A. Schulte Moore

Scientific Advisory Board Member

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. 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. She holds a Ph.D. in forestry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

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). Before joining JBEI, Simmons worked as part of the Senior Management team at Sandia National Laboratories for 15 years. He joined Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in February of 2016 as the Division Director of Biological Systems and Engineering. Simmons earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Tulane University.

Paris Tsobanakis

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Tsobanakis is a technical manager in Cargill’s Engineering R&D. 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 earned 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.