J. Craig Venter to deliver keynote: 'Life at the Speed of Light' at the 8th Annual Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy

2013 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy

WASHINGTON--October 18, 2013: Biotechnology innovations and commercialization of renewable chemicals will be featured topics of plenary sessions at the 2013 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy. This is the original conference dedicated to partnering and growth of the industrial biotechnology and bioenergy sectors in North America and the Asia-Pacific region. BIOCOM is the co-organizer to this year's event, which will be held in San Diego, California from December 8 -11, 2013 at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter.

“Industrial biotechnology is rapidly evolving to enable this energy revolution.”

“Consumer demand for renewables and abundant resources in natural gas and biomass are transforming production of energy and chemicals, especially for Pacific Rim countries,” said Brent Erickson, executive vice president, Industrial and Environmental, at BIO. “Industrial biotechnology is rapidly evolving to enable this energy revolution.”

Plenary Sessions include:

Lunch Plenary - Building a Successful Chemicals Business Across the Pacific Rim Monday, December 9, 12:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Speakers will discuss strategic partnerships for technology developers and the requirements to successfully convert chemicals into marketable end use products.

Panelists: Christophe Schilling, CEO, Genomatica, Dan Simon, President & CEO of Heliae and Rahul Kale, Head of Biofuels and Oleochemicals at Wilmar International Limited (invited)

Breakfast Plenary - The Golden Age of Gas…and Biofuels? Tuesday, December 10, 8:00am – 9:30am Sponsor: Novozymes

Innovative biotech companies are beginning to use industrial hydrocarbon waste streams and natural gas in bioprocesses. How will these technologies find a path forward in policy frameworks that currently fail to include them?

Moderator: Jonathan Burbaum, Program Director, ARPA-E

Panelists: Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer, Lanzatech, Alan Shaw, Chairman of the Board and President & CEO of Calysta and Mark Herrema, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Newlight Technologies

Keynote Lunch - Life at the Speed of Light Tuesday, December 10, 8:00am – 9:30am

Noted biochemist and businessman Craig Venter is a pioneer in the human genome and industrial biotechnology.

Keynote Speaker: J. Craig Venter, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, J.Craig Venter Institute, Founder, and CEO, Synthetic Genomics, Inc.

Lunch Plenary - Pac Rim CEO Spotlight Wednesday, December 11, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Cracking into the big brand marketplace, taking algae feedstocks commercial, creating viable long term renewable chemical contracts, and using synthetic biology to pave the way for new molecules are just a few of the topics C level speakers will discuss.

Panelists: John Melo, Chief Executive Officer, Amyris, Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Executive Officer, Solazyme (invited) and Cynthia Warner, Chairman and CEO, Sapphire Energy (invited)

Now in its eighth year, the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy will also address the latest issues in industrial biotechnology, including algae, advanced biofuels, biopolymers and bioplastics, dedicated energy crops, and green chemistry. Visit Pac Rim Bio. Registration for the Pacific Rum Summit is open with access to early bird rates now through October 25.

Media registration is now open and available. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters with valid press credentials working full time for print, broadcast or web publications. All Pacific Rim Summit sessions are open to credentialed media.