This event will feature an exciting panel of leading plant scientists to give an overview of the rapid advances and new technologies changing the face of plant science and the future of agriculture.
Moderator: Professor Adrian Percy, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative, Venture Partner at Finistere Ventures, and board director for BioLumic, HiFidelity Genetics, and Evogene. He hosts the AgTech360 podcast on behalf of NC State’s Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science in Agriculture (CERSA).
Panelist: Prof Rodolphe Barrangou is the Todd R Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at Nort Carolina State University; Co-Founder and CEO of CRISPR Biotechnologies; Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Ancilia Biosciences; Co-Founder, President and CSO of TreeCo; Co-Founder and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Intellia Therapeutics. His research focuses on CRISPR-Cas9 in Bacteria. In 2018, he was elected as a member into the National Academy of Sciences.
Panelist: Dr Tom Adams, co-founder and CEO of Pairwise Tom has over 25 years of leadership experience heading up biotechnology for global companies, serving most recently as Vice President of Global Biotechnology at Monsanto where he led the team developing a broad range of innovative products. Formerly a faculty member at Texas A&M University, Tom holds a PhD in microbiology and plant science from Michigan State University and a BS in botany and plant pathology from Oregon State University.
Panelist: Prof Ross Sozzani joined NC State in 2013 as a Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program cluster hire in Synthetic and Systems Biology. A professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Sozzani researches the molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cell fate specification and maintenance within the Arabidopsis root, and translates this knowledge to engineering plants with enhanced agronomic function using the tools of synthetic biology. Adapting plants to address ever-changing human needs is a necessary strategy to create sustainable energy, nutritional and energy solutions.