Professional Experience:

President, Byng Biotech Consultants 2006 - present

Vice President and General Manager, Biotechnology Services, MDS Panlabs / MDS Pharma Services 1998 - 2006
Responsible for Business development of Biotechnology group including assessment of potential acquisitions and strategic alliances. Marketing and Sales: Rebuilt sales force resulting in significant increase in clients. Management and support of geographically distributed sales force (USA, Europe and Asia), including marketing collaboration with Protana (a proteomics company in Denmark). P&L responsibility. Operations for Biotechnology Services in both MDS Panlabs Seattle as well as the Fermtech Division in Taiwan, including molecular biology, gene expression, array manufacture, production of research reagents, pathway engineering, fermentation strain improvement and scale up, and biocatalysis.

General Manager, Biotechnology Process Services, MDS Panlabs 1997 - 1998
Responsible for business activities (P&L) of Biotechnology group. Activities include Business Development, Marketing and Sales, Operations for Biotechnology in both Panlabs Seattle Laboratory as well as the strain improvement group in Taiwan.

Senior Director, Process Development Services, Panlabs, Inc., 1993 - 1996.
Head of Biotechnology Business Unit, with responsibilities including:

Classical strain improvement projects in both Taiwan and Seattle laboratories.
Microbial isolation for supply of extracts to client discovery programs (built business from beginning including hiring and lab build out).
Natural product chemistry.
Chemical library synthesis.
Synthetic chemistry.
Fermentation development.
Molecular biology as applied to pathway engineering and protein production.
Biocatalysis.
New client contact, marketing and sales.

Director of Microbiology , Panlabs, Inc., 1991 - 1993

Directed classical strain improvement projects for Panlabs US clients in both the Taiwan and Seattle Laboratories. Types of projects included yield improvement for antibiotics and other secondary metabolites.
Responsible for microbial isolation team supplying the natural product screening group with diverse fungal and actinomycete isolates.
Established small-scale fermentation facility.
Fermentation process optimization for production of a biocatalyst.
New client contact and Marketing and Sales.

Scientific Projects Manager, U.S. Laboratories, Panlabs, Inc., 1990 - 1991

New client contact, Marketing and Sales.
Consultant to Panlabs Taiwan Laboratory in the area of strain improvement.
Management of strain improvement group in Seattle.

Manager, Microbiology Research, Biotechnology Products Division, Miles, Inc., Elkhart, Indiana, 1988 - 1990.

Manage the Microbiology Research Group.
Evaluate outside research proposals and project oversight.
Technology Task Force, Biotechnology Division Reorganization, 1988.
Manage contained fermentation pilot plant.
Research responsibilities have included:
New enzyme product discovery,
Dairy Microbiology, development of new dairy starter cultures,
Characterization and production of novel carbohydrate polymers,
Production of novel food additives via fermentation and/or biotransformation,
Development of a synergistic antimicrobial composition with application in food preservation,
Microbial screening programs,
Maintenance of Miles’ culture collection.

Supervisor, Microbiological Products, Bioproduct Research, Miles, Inc., Elkhart, Indiana, 1987 - 1988.

Discovered a new detergent enzyme, improved strain and optimized fermentation, scaled up to production plant trial.
Carried out novel taxonomic studies of alkalophilic bacilli.
Selected new strains producing glucose isomerase.
Responsible for microbial aspects of toxicology studies and taxonomic identification.
Cloning of fungal hydrolytic enzymes.

Senior Research Scientist, New Microbiologicals, Biotechnology Division, Miles, Inc., Elkhart, Indiana, 1985 - 1986.

Screening techniques for new detergent enzymes.
Devised methods for protoplast formation and regeneration in Flavobacterium arborescans.
Cloning of amylase genes from bacilli.

Research Scientist, New Microbiologicals Group, Biotechnology Division, Miles, Inc., Elkhart, Indiana, 1983 - 1984.

Discovered a new microbial biopolymer.
Screening and characterization of new enzyme products.

Research Assistant Professor, Center for Somatic-Cell Genetics and Biochemistry, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, 1981 - 1983.

Supervised graduate student research projects.
Obtained an NIH grant to study phenylalanine ammonia lyase in tobacco tissue culture cells.
Studied the evolution of the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway by comparison of enzymological features with data on oligonucleotide cataloguing of RNA.

Education:

Recombinant DNA methodology course (1984). Center for Advanced Training in Cell and Molecular Biology. The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Postdoctoral, State University of New York, Binghamton, N.Y. (1977-1980)

Laboratory of Dr. R.A. Jensen.
Studied the taxonomy of pseudomonad bacteria via analysis of shikimate pathway in collaboration with the American Type Culture Collection.
Determined the route of synthesis of pyocyanine by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Graduate studies (Ph.D.) Liverpool University, England. (1973-1976)

Laboratory of Dr. J.M. Turner.
Dissertation entitled “Phenazine Biosynthesis by Pseudomonas phenazinium.
Determined the route and regulation of synthesis of the secondary metabolites, iodinin and aeruginosin by Pseudomonas phenazinium; techniques included isolation of blocked mutants, cofermentative synthesis, radiotracer studies, etc.

Undergraduate (B.Sc., Honors), Liverpool University, England. (1970-1973)

Major in Biochemistry with Chemistry as a minor.

Professional Memberships:

American Society for Microbiology
Society for Industrial Microbiology
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Chemical Society

Fellowships/Distinctions awarded:

Recipient of a Medical Research Council (UK) Research Assistantship. (1973-76)
Miles, Inc. Science and Technology Award (1987). Yield improvement of a bacterial isolate producing a new product.
Consultant, 1985, Biological Energy Research Panel, Department of Energy.
Ad Hoc Reviewer for USDA, DOE (Biological Energy Research), DOE (Small Business Innovation Research Program).