Peggy Lai

Peggy Lai has worked in the engineering field since 2007. Peggy began as an Undergraduate Researcher in the Balsara Chemical Engineering Lab at UC Berkeley, where they prepared polymer samples for SALS and SANS experimentation and published three articles. Peggy then worked as a Manufacturing Process Engineer at Abbott Vascular, where they became the subject matter expert on all nitinol stent processes and utilized Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training to conduct root cause analyses and to initiate yield and quality improvement strategies on the production line. In 2011, they began working at Abbott, where they trained in various operations/production roles and gained valuable cGMP experience. From 2014 to 2018, they worked at Verdezyne, Inc. as a Process Development Engineer, where they attained expertise in membrane filtration, ion exchange/adsorption, extraction, crystallization, and modeling. Peggy conceptualized the purification flowsheet for various carotenoids including lycopene, beta-carotene, and astaxanthin. In 2018, they joined Zymergen as a Staff Process Development Engineer, where they built out downstream lab and pilot capabilities and developed biopurification processes for various products derived from yeast- and bacterial-based broth. Peggy also interfaced closely with analytical teams to support method development and improve analytical results. Currently, they are a Sr. Process Development Engineer at Zero Acre Farms.

Peggy Lai attended the University of California, Berkeley from 2006 to 2010, where they earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.