Claire Kinlaw

Claire Kinlaw has a diverse work experience in various fields such as biotechnology, agriculture, and business development. Claire currently serves as the Chief Science Officer at Zea Biosciences, where they lead the development of research and technology strategies for their controlled environment agriculture platform. Additionally, they manage strategic partnerships with academic scientists focusing on protein therapies produced in plants.

Before joining Zea Biosciences, Claire worked as the Executive Director at InvestMidwest, where they organized an annual forum to promote innovation in the Midwest region, particularly in sectors like agriculture, life sciences, and geospatial sciences.

Claire also held the position of Director of Innovation Commercialization at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Claire managed the center's intellectual property (IP) portfolio, assisted scientists with the patent process, and led negotiations for research collaborations and licensing agreements. Claire also played a key role in the virtual incubator program, IN2, which facilitated research collaborations between early-stage ag companies and Danforth Center scientists.

Furthermore, Claire worked as an Agriculture Industry Specialist at The Context Network, focusing on research and development strategies for the agricultural industry. Claire also held roles in the Larta Institute, where they served as the Director of Agriculture Practice and Principal Advisor for Life Sciences and Agriculture.

Claire's previous experience includes roles at TerViva, a biofuel startup, where they served in various capacities such as Informal Advisor, Director of Product Commercialization, and Head of R&D. Their responsibilities included managing production pipelines, nursery supplier relationships, and leading the R&D efforts for improving tree growth and oil production.

Earlier in their career, Claire owned Developmental Products, Inc., and worked in business development at Integrated Motions, Inc. Claire also founded Business Value Alliance, an alliance of management consultants dedicated to helping small businesses grow.

Claire's work experience extends to the non-profit sector as well, as they interned at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, where they led a team in developing outreach strategies for technology licensing, resulting in three licensing agreements for the institute's early-stage technologies.

In summary, Claire Kinlaw's work experience encompasses leadership roles in biotechnology companies, research institutions, non-profit organizations, and business development. Their expertise lies in innovation commercialization, IP management, research and development strategies, and promoting growth in the agricultural and biotechnology sectors.

Claire Kinlaw pursued their education in a disciplined manner, starting with their undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Virginia, which they completed between 1974 and 1978. Afterward, they attended Rice University, where they pursued a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and successfully completed it from 1978 to 1983. Later in their career, Claire decided to expand their knowledge by enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business. There, between 2007 and 2010, they earned an MBA degree in the field of study known as MBA.