The University Club | 800 Powell Street San Francisco, CA 94108 (map)

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Join us on Thursday October 7, 2010 at The University Club in San Francisco for an evening presentation and panel discussion with thought leaders at the intersection of synthetic biology and biofuels.

Microbiologist and bioinformatics expert Doug Hershberger, Ph.D. is a consulting researcher with LS9 and previously with Codexis and The Dow Chemical Company where he used bioinformatics and systems biology methods to improve microbial protein expression.  He is co-organizer of the Bay Area Bioinformatics Forum.  Doug will moderate our panel of synthetic biology pioneers building synthetic bio alternatives to petroleum fuels and chemicals.  Confirmed panelists . . .

	Robert Blazej, Ph.D. – Allopartis, Co-Founder & President. Allopartis Biotechnologies is a San Francisco-based startup developing tailored enzymes for the efficient conversion cellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars for renewable chemical and fuel production. Robert received his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley in 2006 where he developed a fully-integrated microfluidic DNA sequencing device the size of an audio CD. He is also co-inventor of Allopartis' core technology, the AlloScreen™ and currently leads research to apply the technology to cellulolytic enzymes. Robert has extensive experience in high-throughput molecular biology techniques through his work on the Drosophila and Human Genome Projects at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is an author on 15 papers and 3 book chapters and is an inventor on 5 patents.
	Jack D. Newman, Ph.D – Amyris, Co-Founder and Sr. VP Research. Amyris applies an industrial synthetic biology platform to provide high-performing alternatives to petroleum-sourced fuels and chemicals. Jack co-founded Amyris with over a decade of experience researching bacterial physiology and genetics. In addition to publishing in leading molecular biology and biotechnology journals, Jack co-authored the groundbreaking work underlying the technology of microbial terpene production. He received his doctorate in microbial physiology and gene regulation from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a B.A. in molecular and cellular biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
	Stephen del Cardayre, Ph.D. – LS9, VP Research & Development. LS9 engineers a wide range of DesignerMicrobes™ used in a proprietary 1-step fermentation process to produce renewable fuels and sustainable chemicals. Stephen has broad responsibility for research and development, external collaborations, and day-to-day operations at LS9. Prior to joining LS9, Stephen spent 9 years at Codexis and Maxygen developing and commercializing technologies for the engineering of biocatalytic processes for the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. He has published extensively on the application of evolutionary engineering of biological systems, focusing on whole cell biocatalysts. He received an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of California - Berkeley, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Post doctoral training in Microbial Biotechnology at the University of British Columbia.
	Damien Perriman – Verdezyne, VP Business Development. Founded as a synthetic gene provider to the pharmaceutical and industrial enzyme businesses, Verdezyne focuses on fermentation pathway engineering for renewable fuels and chemicals. Damien develops partnerships to commercialize Verdezyne's proprietary bioprocesses for converting renewable raw materials to biobased industrial products. Prior to joining Verdezyne, he was a senior commercial leader for The Dow Chemical Company's Bioscience Platform and deputy trade commissioner to the Americas for the Queensland Government of Australia. Damien holds a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of New South Wales, Australia and an MBA from the University of California Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management. He speaks frequently on sustainable development and serves on several government and industry advisory boards.

Meet the cutting edge of synthetic biology and cleantech at the Harvard Club.

About the series...
The Cleantech Thought Leader Series introduces the Harvard Club community and guests to thought leaders working on the many front lines of clean energy technology. The series is chaired by Augie Rakow, a technology startup attorney and Board Member of the Harvard Club of San Francisco. Please send comments and suggestions for further speakers to arakow@orrick.com.

About the sponsor. . .
This event is sponsored by Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, a global law firm with 22 offices worldwide and specialized expertise in energy technology law.

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