• Management
• Team

John received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California - Davis. He completed the UC Davis Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy and several other advanced entrepreneurial leadership programs in recent years. After raising seed funding for Micromidas, John led the company to numerous successes in regional and national green technology competitions, including the UC Davis “Big Bang” Business Plan Competition, The California Business Ascent Competition, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet Sustainable Design Competition, and most recently, the National Clean Tech Open. John brings a wealth of experience in technology management, chemical research and development, numerical modeling of complex systems, and scaling of industrial processes. Prior to Micromidas, John was employed by Ampac Fine Chemicals working with diverse teams of chemists, engineers, and operators as a functional liaison between R&D, manufacturing, and management teams.

Ryan graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California - Davis. While at UC-Davis, Ryan focused on the development of mathematical models for non-linear systems and process optimization for both academic and industrial applications. He has significant experience directing multi-faceted teams with a great diversity of domain expertise. While at UC-Davis, Ryan conducted specialized research with Professor Brian Higgins in the area of numerical simulations of reaction diffusion systems. This work yielded direct results demonstrating non-linear oscillatory and patterned behavior. Ryan developed the Northern California Nanotechnology Center’s protocol for photo-resist evaluation and imprint lithography. While at the Center, he pursued research in nano-scale reaction chambers for use in macro-molecular reactions. Later, while at NEC, he directed a multi-purpose group of technicians, operators, and process engineers achieving significant operational cost savings. He also developed multiple theoretical and empirical models for the analysis of the dynamics of spin coating as an easy platform for optimizing photo-resist spin coating processes.

Casey McGrath graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of California - Davis, specializing in bacterial diversity and physiology. His current focus is in applied and environmental microbiology, with particular emphasis on microbial ecology, novel enrichment and isolation techniques. At Micromidas, Casey’s research activities include the development of microbial consortia, identification and enrichment of productive bacterial strains, determination of metabolic pathways, and environmental sample analysis. Casey completed the UC Davis Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy which focuses on sustainable business design and startup management. He successfully represented the company at the UC Davis “Big Bang” Business Plan Competition and the California Business Ascent Competition. in addition to his on-going scientific contributions to the company, Casey continues to play a key role Micromidas strategic planning and general business development activities.

Doug is responsible for developing and implementing new chemical processes for the Micromidas technology platform, leading a small team of Micromidas engineers focused on enhancing the company’s process engineering functions. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California - Davis, and conducted research with Professor Brian Higgins in the use of computational software to develop and analyze partial differential equations describing complex physical phenomena. These studies focused on such scientific phenomena as the emergence of spatial patterns in reaction-diffusion systems and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities in chemical systems. Doug was also heavily involved in Challenge X, a hybrid energy development project that used platinum-based catalysts to generate electricity from reduction/oxidation reactions. Prior to Micromidas, Doug worked at Bay-Tec, Inc. to design, develop, and implement control and automation systems for clients in the pharmaceutical, solar, petrochemical and wine-making industries.

Jeff graduated with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California - Davis. While attending undergraduate engineering classes, Jeff also worked at the UC-Davis Water Quality Laboratory, researching biological wastewater treatment techniques and phosphorous removal. While working at Micromidas, Jeff continues to pursue numerous interests including support for championship sports teams and competitive engineering groups.

Wade graduated with Honors from the University of California - Davis with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. His academic focus was in the area of Process Design and Engineering, with an emphasis in Chemical Reaction Engineering and Catalysis. Wade performed his undergraduate research at the Northern California Nanotechnology Center, developing methods for creating nano-scale features for use in biological, medical and semiconductor applications using Nano-Imprint Lithography. His work has been published in the academic journal, IEEE Sensors. At Micromidas, Wade combines his research and engineering experience to optimize fermentation and bioplastics production processes.