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

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)
Dustin Heeney

Dustin Heeney

PhD Microbiology Biotechnology, CTO

  • R&D Synthetic Biology
  • Industrial fermentation
  • Strong entrepreneurial skills, specialty microbial strains and molecular techniques
Nick Triantafillopoulos

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

Robert Keith Salsman

BS, Polymers

  • 35+ years in Paper Dispersions and Coatings
  • 15 issued Patents
Akihiko Kumaoka

Akihiko Kumaoka

MS, BUS. DEV. Japan

  • 30+ years in Plastics & chemicals R&D
  • marketing & business
Gabriele Mukherjee

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

Robert Kirschbaum

MS

  • Former Business Unit Director & VP Open Innovation, DSM
  • Led a corporate “incubator”
  • 35 years fostering innovation
Marc-Andre Lebel

Marc-Andre Lebel

PE

  • Founder and CEO FRX Polymers
  • Former Business Group Director, Cabot Corp.
  • Former President & CEO, DSM Thermoplastics Elastomers
Charles P. Klass

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

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 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.