At PIARCS, I am advancing two disruptive innovations to fulfill my lifelong commitment to environmental sustainability. PIARCS high-efficiency reactor design would enable algal biomass to replace fossil fuel feedstocks while supporting carbon sequestration. Meanwhile, our proprietary trigger molecules would leverage Deinococcus to create a sustainable phosphorus fertilizer cycle and remediate polluted ecosystems.

Despite over a decade of effort, securing funding from venture capital or government sources has proven challenging. Venture capitalists have correctly inferred my lack of interest in a traditional “exit” strategy. In the algae field, despite my 2011 publications, academic and national lab researchers have not embraced my interdisciplinary approach, which would challenge the relevance of decades of their work. This may partly explain my difficulties in obtaining grants and forming collaborations.

Importantly, how can my work benefit “the people” and not the corporations, which are perniciously classified as such? Until society starts addressing this fundamental issue, I adopt Cillian Murphy’s “Relief Of Missing Out” attitude as I slowly progress on personal funds. Consequently, I am no longer seeking funding and have removed my contact information from this site. The video below, from 2014, has not been updated to reflect this new stance.