MENLO PARK, Calif., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Solazyme, a leading algal biotechnology company, today announced that it has named Dr. Arthur Grossman to the position of Chief of Genetics of the Company.
Dr. Grossman is currently Senior Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Institution and a Courtesy Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University. He will retain his current positions and will share time between Solazyme and Carnegie/Stanford. Dr. Grossman’s role as a member of Solazyme’s management team will include oversight of current R&D projects and the development of strategies for initiating and implementing new projects. Prior to becoming a member of the management team, Dr. Grossman was the Chairman of Solazyme’s Scientific Advisory Board and has been a key part of the R&D team for the last two years. “I have been extremely impressed with Solazyme’s capabilities and progress over the last two years and look forward to increasing my involvement as the company grows and various projects mature,” said Grossman who continued, “The Company’s science is highly novel and creative, but also focused on generating new and exciting commercial opportunities.”
Dr. Harrison Dillon, CEO of Solazyme noted, “Arthur Grossman is without question one of the leading algae geneticists in the world and we are honored to have him join our management team.” Also joining Solazyme in the position of Scientist is Chung-Soon Im, an algal geneticist who most recently completed a postdoctoral position in Dr. Grossman’s laboratory at Stanford. Dr. Im has extensive expertise in the areas of algal genetic engineering, algal microarray technology, and the characterization of genetic pathways involved in the biosynthesis of high value algal materials.
Dr. Grossman received a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Indiana University and performed postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University. He has pioneered studies of acclimation processes in algae, and has exploited genome- based methods in these studies; such methods include comparative genomics using a variety of informatic tools and high density DNA microarrays. The value of the genomic information has generally been augmented with in-depth biochemical, physiological and genetic analyses. Dr. Grossman’s research has exploited both eukaryotic and prokaryotic photosynthetic organisms and he has served as the Lead Investigator on the Chlamydomonas Genome Project, which involves the participation of four other internationally recognized laboratories. Dr. Grossman’s microalgal research has earned him the prestigious Darbaker Prize in 2002, awarded by the Botanical Society of America.
More information on Solazyme and Dr. Grossman can be found online at www.solazyme.com.
About Solazyme:
Founded in 2003 in Menlo Park, California, Solazyme is devoted to harnessing the energy-harvesting machinery of various species of algae to produce valuable products. The Company utilizes proprietary genetic engineering methods to develop and optimize commercially relevant biochemical pathways for production of biofuels and health and wellness materials. For more information, please visit our website: www.solazyme.com or contact Jonathan Wolfson at 650-780-4777.
Solazyme
CONTACT: Jonathan Wolfson of Solazyme, +1-650-780-4777
Web site: http://www.solazyme.com/
