Mascoma Corporation Names James Flatt Senior Vice President of Research and Development
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Mascoma Corporation, a leader in low-carbon cellulosic biomass-to-ethanol development and production, today named James H. Flatt, Ph.D. as Senior Vice President, Research and Development. In this position, Dr. Flatt will lead the company’s initiatives to develop environmentally beneficial and cost-effective technologies to convert cellulosic biomass into ethanol.
“Jim has demonstrated success in leading new product discovery, process development programs, and intellectual property development,” said Mascoma CEO Bruce A. Jamerson. “By adding Jim to the group that includes Co-Founders Lee Lynd and Charles Wyman, along with our Scientific Advisory Board and management, we are building a ‘dream team’ of scientists up to the challenge of developing low-carbon fuels for the future.”
“Accelerating and commercializing R&D are critical to the development of cellulosic ethanol as our nation’s most promising low-carbon fuel,” said Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, a founding Mascoma investor. “Jim will help us further develop our proprietary technology for processing cellulosic biomass and driving down costs.”
Dr. Flatt was previously Senior Vice President, Research at Martek Biosciences Corporation , a leader in the development and commercialization of nutritional products derived from microalgae. He joined Martek upon its 2002 acquisition of OmegaTech, where he was Vice President of Research and Development. At Martek, Dr. Flatt led the research and development of commercial fermentation processes.
“The market is seeking a cost-effective cellulosic ethanol solution and with Mascoma’s leadership team and technological innovation, we have the opportunity to lead this market,” said Dr. Flatt. “I look forward to helping Mascoma advance the renewable fuels market. Producing ethanol from cellulose is our best opportunity to significantly and sustainably reduce carbon emissions, especially through our proprietary, environmentally benign processes.”
In his position with OmegaTech, Dr. Flatt managed corporate research and development, including biotechnology discovery, ingredient technology, food applications research, analytical sciences and process development. Prior to joining OmegaTech, he was Vice President of Fermentation and Process Research for the Kelco Biopolymers division of Monsanto, where he led the development and commercialization of several major new products and processing technologies. He has also held positions with Merck and Procter & Gamble.
Dr. Flatt holds six patents and is the author of a number of professional papers. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his M.S. in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin.
About Mascoma Corporation
Mascoma Corporation is a low-carbon cellulosic biomass-to-ethanol company with corporate offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Research and Development labs in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Mascoma is developing advanced technologies in its own labs, with Professor Lee Lynd at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering, by licensing “best in class” microorganisms and enzymes, and with other sponsored research around the world. It is also developing demonstration and commercial scale production facilities in several locations. For more information, visit http://www.mascoma.com.