Meet the PHAXTEC® team
Proven track record
The PHAXTEC® team consists of a mix of young and motivated entrepreneurs and seasoned industry veterans all of whom are committed to delivering on PHAXTEC®’s mission to introducing environmentally safe and natural material solutions.

Anindya Mukherjee
MBA, MS (Poly. Sc.), BS (Chem. E.), CEO and Founder
- i2i Management Consulting Practice
- Co-founder GO!PHA
- 15 years in Biotech & PHA, 30 years in plastics
- 6 start-ups and 3 M&As (MD, EVP, GM)

Nick Triantafillopoulos
PhD, Paper, Coatings
- R&D Technology Manager
- New applications, markets developer
- Polymer, specialty chemicals and coatings application developer
- 26+ years in paper and packaging

Robert Keith Salsman
BS, Polymers
- 35+ years in Paper Dispersions and Coatings
- 15 issued Patents

Akihiko Kumaoka
MS, BUS. DEV. Japan
- 30+ years in Plastics & chemicals R&D
- marketing & business

Rick Passenier
MS, Business Development
- Management consultant, product design, material innovation and commercialization practice
- Co-founder GO!PHA
- 8 years in industrial and product design
- Special envoy at Holland Circular Hotspot

Gabriele Mukherjee
MBA, Marketing Communications
- 15+ B2B Marketing and communications
- Experience at and with multinationals
- Start-up experience
The PHAXTEC® advisory board
Experience matters

Robert Kirschbaum
MS
- Former Business Unit Director & VP Open Innovation, DSM
- Led a corporate “incubator”
- 35 years fostering innovation

Marc-Andre Lebel
PE
- Founder and CEO FRX Polymers
- Former Business Group Director, Cabot Corp.
- Former President & CEO, DSM Thermoplastics Elastomers

Charles P. Klass
MBA
- 60+ years in pulp & paper, paper coatings and paper recycling
- Former VP, GM, Dir. of Sales at 4 pulp & paper companies
- Adjunct Professor; Technical, Business & Management Consultant, holds 9 patents
Academic Partners

Clemson University
Plastics & Coatings

San Diego State University
PHA Production

We are hiring
You want to take products from a game changing technology to the market? Join us and contribute your talent and PHA or market know-how at PHAXTEC®?
PHAXTEC® is looking for biotechnologists – Microbiologists, Molecular Biologists, Polymer chemists and processing experts, applications development specialists, Business development and sales/marketing specialists. Whether you have little or a lot of experience, talk to us on how you can participate! Time has come for a paradigm shift in the way we look and use materials.
Senior Polymer Technology R&D Leader
As part of its growth the PHAXTEC® team is looking for a senior level team member to join the core PHAXTEC® team. The successful candidate will set strategy and actions and manage all aspects of ongoing research and commercialization of the PHA biopolymers for PHAXTEC®. He/she will set the strategy for the commercialization of PHA and related compounds, their development in the laboratory/pilot scale and eventually in large scale. Depending on the experience and background of the successful candidate, this position could be transformed into the role of Chief Technology Officer- Polymers within a short period of time.
The successful candidate would have a PhD in Polymer Science or Engineering or equivalent field, with relevant and significant experience in polyolefins, polyesters and similar polymers, their compounds, and applications. Bio-based polymer (PLA, PBS, PHA, TPS) and polymer dispersion/coatings experience would be a plus. Strong computational skills are desired. Excellent communication, presentation and writing skills are required. The person would be expected to communicate with the R&D staff, non-scientists, and business leaders internally and externally.
Responsibilities include developing and executing strategies and actions and some hand-on work in the identification, development, compounding and applications in dispersions, extrusion and molding of polymers, specially PHA, PLA, PBS, TPS or related polymers. He/she will contribute directly or indirectly to the development and scaling of PHA biopolymer compounds and dispersions in conjunction with partners and customers.
The successful candidate would have 10-20 years’ experience in the field and is or has been part of a leadership team within the field developing and commercializing such products. Experience with having set up relevant laboratories, hiring and managing a group of scientists, technicians and engineers would be a plus.
Compensation for the position commensurate with qualifications, experience, and background, and include stock options to participate in the success of the start-up.
Start date: July 1, 2022 (negotiable). Please submit a resume along with references and willingness to relocate.
Senior Industrial Biotechnology R&D Leader
PHAXTEC® is a start-up commercializing and marketing novel natural materials based on PolyHydroxyAlkanoates (PHA) that can replace fossil and non-biodegradable plastics. PHA can replace more than 50% (210 million Tons) of the world’s fossil plastics in use single applications such as packaging, personal care, and agriculture and in durable uses such as textiles, sports equipment, automotive, electrical and electronics. The protected PHAXTEC® process uses renewable and abundantly available greenhouse gases to produce PHA and it uses protected technologies to turn them into coatings for barrier paper packaging and other applications.
As part of its growth the PHAXTEC® team is looking for a senior level team member to join the core PHAXTEC® team. The successful candidate will set strategy and actions and manage all aspects of ongoing research and commercialization of the PHA biopolymers for PHAXTEC®. He/she will set the strategy for the laboratory and pilot scale fermentation and extraction of these PHA biopolymers. Depending on the experience and background of the successful candidate, this position could be transformed into the role of Chief Technology Officer within a short period of time.
The successful candidate would have a PhD in microbiology or biochemistry, with relevant and significant experience in microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and some experience in analytical chemistry. Strong experience and background in metabolic engineering, genetics, and systems biology of microbial system as well as analytical chemistry (LS-MS/MS; HPLC, SLS/DLS, NMR). Strong computational skills are desired. Responsibilities include developing and executing strategies and actions and some hand-on work in the construction and screening of novel metabolic traits of PHA-producing bacteria, identification of metabolic bottlenecks using systems-level approaches (metabolomics, RNA-seq, isotope tracing) and designing novel strategies for improving production. He/she will contribute directly or indirectly to the extraction and characterization of PHA preparations, and the development of novel fermentation strategies.
Excellent communication, presentation and writing skills are required. The person would be expected to communicate with the R&D staff, non-scientists, and business leaders internally and externally.
The successful candidate would have 10-20 years’ experience, have worked in the field of Industrial Biotechnology with PHA and/or gas fermentation preferred, and has been part of a leadership team within an Industrial Biotechnology start-up or large organization developing industrial biotechnology products. Experience with having set up biotech and fermentation laboratories, hiring and managing a group of scientists, technicians and engineers would be a plus.
Compensation for the position commensurate with qualifications, experience, and background, and include stock options to participate in the success of the start-up.
Start date: May 1, 2022 (negotiable). Please submit a resume along with references and willingness to relocate.
Research Scientist / Microbiologist
The successful applicant will have a PhD or a master’s with 3-5 years in microbiology or biochemistry, significant experience in microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and some experience in analytical chemistry. Fresh PhD graduate with up to 1 year of post doc experience would also be suitable. Good communication, presentation and writing skills are required.
Position is offered initially for 12 months through a US government grant and would become as soon as company undergoes additional financing. The person would have significant growth opportunity within the company.
Formal inquiries are strongly encouraged, please email:
Anindya Mukherjee, CEO
am@phaxtec.com
Employment Type
Full-time