Dr. Cooney is a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering and faculty director for the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the MIT faculty as an assistant professor in 1970 and became a professor in 1982. Dr. Cooney is an expert in fermentation and downstream processing. He is on the board of directors of Genzyme and CUNO, Inc. and serves as a consultant to a number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies, from startups to global corporations.