JAY KEASLING

Jay D. Keasling is a professor of chemical engineering and bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also associate laboratory director for biosciences at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and chief executive officer of the Joint BioEnergy Institute. He is considered one of the foremost authorities in synthetic biology, especially in the field of metabolic engineering. Keasling was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2010 for developing synthetic biology tools to engineer the antimalarial drug artemisinin.

Keasling's research centers on modifying the chemistry within microorganisms through metabolic engineering to produce valuable chemicals or aid in environmental remediation. Keasling's laboratory has utilized metabolic engineering to address various real-world challenges, including the synthesis of the antimalarial drug artemisinin and the development of drop-in biofuels.

Keasling is also a founder of Amyris, LS9, Lygos, and several other biotechnology companies.