Melanie DeSessa

Melanie DeSessa has extensive experience in bioprocess engineering and fermentation science. Melanie began their career in 2009 as a Laboratory Support Technician at OPX Biotechnologies, Inc., where they were responsible for inventory and stocking of consumables and chemicals, making solid and liquid media stocks, and isolating plasmids using mini-prep procedures. Melanie was later promoted to Research Associate, Physiology and Bioprocess Research, where they worked with the strain engineering group to help design and screen production strains of E. coli, as well as developing and scaling up processes for these production strains.

In 2014, DeSessa joined Texas A&M University as a Graduate Research Assistant, where they worked with models of S. cerevisiae to predict product and by-product flux through metabolic pathways in a beta-carotene production strain. Melanie used these models and optimization tools to determine what genetic manipulations to perform in order to maximize production.

In 2018, DeSessa joined Zymergen as a Lead Fermentation Engineer, where they led the Fermentation Engineering team and managed 8 Fermentation Engineers. Melanie also responded to changing scope and priorities and deployed team members to support multiple fermentation processes. Melanie led standardization efforts to make the team more efficient and flexible, employing Lean Six Sigma techniques and standard protocol documentation. Melanie also designed and coordinated bench-scale fermentation screening experiments in conjunction with engineers and operators to detect improved E. coli strains for an external client program, and directed high-throughput plate screen experiment work and analyzed data to detect strain improvements.

Most recently, DeSessa joined Culture Biosciences in 2021 as a Sr. Bioprocess Engineer / Manager.

Melanie DeSessa completed a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2011. Melanie then went on to attain their Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2018. In February 2019, Melanie obtained an Advanced Postgraduate Course in Microbial Physiology and Fermentation Technology from BioTech Delft. Melanie also holds an Engineer Intern (FE Exam) certification from NCEES.