Charles Cai

Charles Cai has 10 years of work experience, beginning in 2009. In 2009, they were a Research Assistant III for UC Davis, researching the impact of cell membrane composition on ethanol tolerance. That same year, they were also a Fermentation Engineer for Marrone Bio Innovations, where they optimized processes involving bacterial production of bio-pesticides and ran seed trains for fermentation scale-up. In 2010, they were a Scientific Computing Associate Scientist for Amyris, where they designed CSTR microbioreactors for metabolic flux studies, authored a semi-empirical metric for evaluating strain performance, and developed microscale screening assays and high throughput data processing methods. Charles was also a HTS Graduate Intern for Amyris, where they collaborated with a multi-faceted team to optimize workflow of high-throughput robots and developed process controls to improve SNR of high-throughput bioassays. In 2011, Charles Cai became an Associate Research Professor at the University of California, Riverside, where they focused on the conversion of plant biomass to liquid fuels and biomaterials, and led over $8M of federally funded research projects. Charles was also a Technology Consultant and Partner for CogniTek, leading the technical development and commercial deployment of novel biomass to fuels technology. In 2016, they became the Chief Technology Officer for MG Fuels, where they deployed lucrative renewable energy solutions and transformed biomass streams to refinery-ready oil. In 2021, Charles Cai is the Chief Technology Officer for The Hurd Co., leading technology development for a cotton-alternative textile that is sustainably sourced from industrial hemp and other biomass, and managing operations of pilot-scale manufacturing and integration of new downstream processes to meet demands of their clients.

Charles Cai completed their Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biochemical Engineering from the University of California, Davis in 2010. Afterward, they went on to pursue their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Riverside, which they completed in 2014.