Kathleen Turano

Kathleen Turano has a long and varied career in the medical and biotech industries. Kathleen began their career in 1986 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Kathleen then progressed to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, and finally Professor of Ophthalmology. During their time at Johns Hopkins, they designed and led research programs to explore the link between vision and action in normal and impaired visual systems, and to study the sensory and perceptual effects of eye movements in a clinical population. Kathleen was the Principal Investigator on grants from the US Dept of the Army, the National Eye Institute, and the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

In 2007, Turano moved to Plant Sensory Systems, a biotech company, where they took on the role of President. At Plant Sensory Systems, they developed products for the health and productivity of humans, animals, and plants in a sustainable manner.

Most recently, Turano has been the CEO of Natáur LLC since 2021. Natáur is replacing the petroleum-based synthesis of taurine with sustainable production by microbial fermentation. Taurine is an essential nutrient, naturally occurring in animal products.

Kathleen Turano received their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Experimental Psychology from Miami University in 1986, after completing their Master of Science (MS) in the same field from the same university in 1984.