Joel R. Cherry, PhD, is President of R&D at Amyris, Inc. (Email: info@amyris.com), where he oversees the development of microorganisms that efficiently convert plant-derived feedstocks to chemicals for use in pharmaceuticals, fuels, fragrances, and consumer goods. He has more than 24 years of experience in industrial biotechnology, with a track record of bringing biotech products to market. During a 16-year tenure at Novozymes, he served as Director of Bioenergy Biotechnology and was a member of the R&D executive management team, specializing in protein engineering and directed evolution. As Principal Investigator of the BioEnergy Project, a U.S. Dept. of Energy-funded $30-million effort, he led a cross-functional, international team of over 100 scientists to reduce the cost of cellulases for lignocellulosic biomass. He has more than 30 published scientific papers and is an inventor on more than 50 patents. He holds a BA in chemistry from Carleton College and a PhD in biochemistry from the Univ. of New Hampshire.