The Next Frontier of Food: Precision Fermentation Innovations—ConnectEd Briefs
Event description
Precision fermentation is revolutionizing how we produce food ingredients, offering an increasingly sustainable and innovative approach to creating everything from alternative proteins to functionality. This session will explore the transformative potential of precision fermentation, highlighting its role in advancing flavor, nutrition, and sustainability. Attendees will discover how this technology is setting the stage for the future of food production and paving the way for new opportunities for innovation. Afterward, keep the conversation going at the Connect Hub from 2:15–3:15 p.m. during the ConnectEd DeBriefs Mixer—a networking opportunity to engage with our ConnectEd Briefs experts. Included with your Expo Pass.
Event location
Meet the speaker
Lucas Eastham
LEAD SCIENTIST, FERMENTATION, GFI
Lucas works with the SciTech team to analyze the technical landscape for proteins and ingredients derived from microbial fermentation. He identifies key challenges and articulates 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), and downstream process development (DSP) to commercialization and GMP operations. Lucas holds a BS in biology and anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and an MS in environmental science and management from Duquesne University.
ConnectEd DeBriefs Mixer
Do not miss the ConnectEd DeBriefs Mixer at the Connect Hub from 2:15–3:15 p.m. for a chance to network with Lucas and other ConnectEd Brief experts. This is a great opportunity to continue the conversation and ask any further questions you may have.
Upcoming events
View all events
Bruce Friedrich at Politics & Prose
Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food—and Our Future – with Nicolás Rivero.
Meat: The Next Agricultural Revolution
Bruce Friedrich kicks off Canada’s premier alternative protein symposium in Toronto.
2026 Midwest Climate Summit Campuses as Climate Engines: Cutting Carbon and Building Resilience
Join us for a lively workshop on the levers campuses can pull right now—from food procurement to school design to climate-ready facilities.
Bruce Friedrich at Johns Hopkins University: Meat — a homecoming conversation
Event description Co-hosted with the Center for a Livable Future (based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), this event is a chance to connect the dots between…
Alternative Protein Symposium: Bridging Science and Society
Join Bruce Friedrich and our Alt Protein Project leaders from NC State, Duke University, and Virginia Tech at the Alternative Protein Symposium: Bridging Science and Society.
Animal-Free Meat: The Next Agricultural Revolution
Come learn how science, policy, and industry can work together to satisfy the world’s soaring demand for meat, no animals required.
