Dr. Sarah Glaven | AIChE

Dr. Sarah Glaven

Principal Assistant Director for Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a Research Biologist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. As a principal investigator, she has led cutting-edge research in biotechnology and biomanufacturing efforts for over 15 years. Dr. Glaven’s research spans microbiology, synthetic biology, and systems biology and has been cited over 3600 times. She served as a Board Member and President of the International Society of Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology from 2013-2019, and was recently elected a Fellow as part of the of the inaugural cohort. Dr. Glaven holds multiple patents and is excited about translating lab science into real world impact. In 2021, while on detail to the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and Army Development Command, she launched the Tri-Service Biotechnology for a Resilient Supply Chain program. As Director, she was responsible for initiating a $300 million public-private investment to scale-up, test, and evaluate biotechnologies to meet critical defense needs, at that time, the largest investment of its kind by the DoD. Dr. Glaven has more recently pursued opportunities to advance U.S. science policy, serving as the Principal Assistant Director for Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing within the Industrial Innovation Division of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In this role Dr. Glaven has coordinated implementation of the Biden-Harris Administration's Executive Order to Advance Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Safe, Secure, and Sustainable U.S. Bioeconomy. This includes serving as the co-chair of the National Bioeconomy Board and working with colleagues across the Executive Office of the President and federal government to pursue policy initiatives that grow the bioeconomy.