Cultivating careers in alternative proteins: the fermentation scientist perspective

Webinar description

The emerging field of alternative proteins is creating cutting-edge career and research opportunities for microbiologists and biotechnologists. Attendees will hear from Dr. Adam Leman, Lead Scientist in Fermentation, at The Good Food Institute, Lucas Eastman, Senior Scientist in Fermentation at The Good Food Institute, and Hanlu Liu, Fermentation Scientist at New Culture. In the webinar, our speakers will discuss the case for reimagining meat production, the need for microbiologists and biotechnologists in the alternative protein ecosystem, technical challenges and opportunities, and their professional paths into the alternative protein field.

GFI speakers

Adam Leman, Ph.D.

LEAD SCIENTIST, FERMENTATION

Adam is a Lead Scientist, Fermentation at GFI and is focused on the development of biomass fermentation and precision fermentation biotechnology for food protein. He earned a B.S. in Molecular Genetics from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. from Drexel University College of Medicine in Molecular Biology. Adam’s postdoctoral studies concentrated on fungal genetics and systems biology. During his time in biotech, Adam implemented gene expression analyses in microbial, agtech, and human health studies to better characterize these systems and offer a deeper understanding for strain development and process improvement.

Lucas Eastham, M.Sc.

SENIOR FERMENTATION SCIENTIST

Lucas works with the SciTech team to analyze the technical landscape for proteins and ingredients derived from microbial fermentation, identify key challenges, and articulate solutions to accelerate the industry. Before GFI, Lucas spent ten years at Algenol Biotech commercializing microbial-derived biofuels, biofertilizers, food ingredients, and cosmetic ingredients. His expertise ranges across the bioprocess commercialization spectrum from strain development, cultivation process development (USP), downstream process development (DSP), commercialization, and GMP operations. Lucas holds a B.S. in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Management from Duquesne University.