Scientific Committee

David Bressler earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Cell Biotechnology from the University of Alberta. Dr. Bressler is jointly appointed with the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences where he is a Professor and the Bio-Industrial Technologies Division of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. Dr. Bressler’s general area of research is the industrial application of thermal, chemical, and biological processes for catalytic conversion of conventional agricultural products to platform chemicals, fuels, and value-added commodities. The development and optimization of novel mechanisms and biochemical pathways are of particular interest. As Director …Read More »

Kevin Hicks, Ph.D., is the Research Leader of the Sustainable Biofuels and CoProducts Research Unit of the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC), ARS, USDA in Wyndmoor (suburban Philadelphia) PA. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri – Columbia in Biochemistry in 1979.  At ERRC, where he has worked for 32 years, Kevin leads a team of 25 scientists and engineers conducting research to develop sustainable biofuels and coproducts from agricultural commodities and byproducts.  Biofuels Dr. Hicks has researched include ethanol, biodiesel, and “drop-in” green gasoline and diesel.  CoProducts …Read More »

Dr. Peter C.K. Lau is Principal Research Officer of the National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, 6100 Royalmount Avenue research facilities (previously known as the Biotechnology Research Institute). Presently, he is in the Bio-derived Products Program of the Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Portfolio of the Life Sciences Division. Dr. Lau’s laboratory (Bioconversion and Sustainable Development Group) and research interests are focused on the discovery, improvement and deployment of enzyme (biocatalyst) technology and associated microbial processes to meet industrial needs and environmental sustainability. Since 1999, Dr. Lau has served as …Read More »

Dr. Warren Mabee (Ph.D. 2001, Toronto) holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Renewable Energy Development and Implementation. He is an Assistant Professor at Queen’s University, with a joint appointment in the School of Policy Studies and the Department of Geography. His international research programme focuses on the interface between policy and technology in the area of renewable energy and fuels, addressing issues that bridge the gap between researchers and decision-makers. His past work experiences include stints at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, as …Read More »

Emma Master earned a B.Sc. in Microbiology from McGill University in 1995, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Biochemistry from UBC in 2002. She then joined the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden (KTH) as a Post-doctoral Fellow. There, she studied wood fibre biosynthesis and modification by carbohydrate-active enzymes and led the enzyme discovery and characterization group of KTH’s wood biotechnology division. In 2004, she joined the Fungal Genomics Project at Concordia University, before she became a faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the …Read More »

“The unique thing about working at AI Bio Solutions is bringing together agriculture, forest, food and life sciences, under one umbrella and finding and developing the places where they intersect.” Christine Murray is the Director of Agricultural Technologies with AI Bio. Her work includes all aspects of the research funding process. This process starts with developing and implementing the call for proposals in goal areas as well as working directly with research groups to develop a proposal in targeted areas. She is also very engaged with Bioeconomy Alberta Team and, …Read More »

Dr. Orts received his Ph.D. (1991) in Physical Chemistry from University of Toronto while working at Xerox, Canada on biodegradable plastics. He earned his M.Sc. in Biochemistry (1986) also from the University of Toronto and a B.Sc. (Honours, Chemical Engineering) from The Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. He and his Research Unit are internationally recognized for research on developing biorefinery strategies that are viable in the Western U.S. This includes development of biofuels, bioproducts and sustainable materials via multi-disciplinary problem solving.  Dr. Orts has been a Research Chemist with the USDA …Read More »

Theodore H. Wegner Assistant Director USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory Madison, WI 53726-2398   Dr. Theodore (Ted) Wegner is Assistant Director of the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.  Wegner joined the Forest Service in 1977 prior to which he worked for E.I. DuPont. He has been a leader in defining and carrying out the Forest Service research agenda for forest biomass to bioenergy conversion. He serves and participates on two industry led groups. The first is the Bioenergy Deployment Consortium, a network of public and private companies interested …Read More »