Michael Japs Director, Commercial Technology Development Genomatica, Inc. Michael is a veteran of the industrial biotechnology sector leading development, scale-up, and commercialization of novel processes for the production of chemicals via fermentation. In his current role he directs Genomatica’s Bioengineering Solutions group which leverages Genomatica’s technology platform and expertise to help industrial, food & beverage, agriculture, bio-pharmaceutical and nutraceutical clients develop and improve their products. Target applications include specialty chemicals, nutraceuticals, probiotics, enzymes, flavors and fragrances, cosmetic ingredients, amino acids and more. Michael also leads conceptual process design, economic analysis, and technical business development activities for internal product opportunities. He previously formed and led Genomatica’s process engineering department where he was integral in establishing the company’s core bioprocess engineering capabilities. He is an inventor of Genomatica’s renewable 1,4-butandediol (BDO) process which in 2013 received the prestigious Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award recognizing ‘the most noteworthy chemical engineering technology commercialized in the world during the past two years…’. Prior to Genomatica Michael held several R&D and operations positions at NatureWorks LLC commercializing polylactic acid (PLA). Michael holds a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota.