Dr. James (Jim) Flatt joined Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI) in 2010 as the Chief Technology Officer. SGI is a leader in the development and application of synthetic biology technology for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals and application in agriculture. Since 2013, Jim has served as President of Genovia Bio, which is responsible for the development of algae-based solutions for food fuels and chemicals markets. Jim has been involved in the industrial biotechnology field for over 20 years. Just prior to SGI, Jim was the Executive Vice President of Research & Development and Operations at Mascoma Corporation, a leader in the development of cellulosic biofuels. Prior to Mascoma, Jim served as Senior Vice President of Research for Martek Biosciences Corporation (Columbia, MD), leading the development of nutritional fatty acids from microalgae which are now included in many infant formula and food products. Prior to Martek, Jim was involved in microbial biotechnology research at Merck and Monsanto. Jim received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduate degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of California-Berkeley and University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jim served as the Chairman of the Industrial Advisory Board for the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Marine Biotechnology (MarBEC) at the Universities of Hawaii and California-Berkeley.
Agriculture
How Biotech Can Help Feed the Planet
It's going to be a big global challenge to feed our growing population without destroying the environment. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that worldwide food supply must increase by 70 percent by 2050. We don't just need calories; we need nutritious calories that reduce the risk of disease. Chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes impair quality of life and burden the global healthcare system.
Flatt, Forgacs, Gurney, Komisar & Shetty: The Future of F&B
Gurney: All right, it’s great to be here. As David said, it’s now well into the lunch hour and we thought instead of letting you eat food, we would talk about food. But it’s our goal to get you all salivating so that you’ll truly enjoy the food once we release you to eat it. […]
Bio + Life Sciences
Systems of Life Impact Business and Society
Exploration, experimentation, and innovation. All fabulous pursuits in their own rights, but what about real-world application? From food to fuel, what are people doing with all these new bio discoveries? In this video from our June 17 Techonomy Bio conference, David Kirkpatrick moderates a discussion with Stewart Brand of The Long Now Foundation, Jim Flatt of Genovia Bio and Synthetic Genomics, Inc., Steve Levine of Dassault Systèmes, and Floyd Romesberg of The Scripps Research Institute.
Conferences
Bio 15
Techonomy Bio is a big-picture exploration of the transformative global social and economic benefits driven by the rapid advances being made in the biological and life sciences.
Conferences
Bio 14
The theme for Techonomy 2019 in Half Moon Bay, California was “Reset and Restore: Governing Tech, Retrieving Ethics, and Acting on Climate.” We are in a unique period when corporate responsibility and big-picture thinking is absolutely essential.
