Dr. Thomas Ulrich

Dr. Thomas H. Ulrich earned his Ph.D. in Agronomy, University of Illinois. He has more than 20 years of university, industrial, and Idaho National Lab R&D experience in plant science and molecular biology as applied to a wide range of biological systems.  Tom is currently collaborating on Department of Energy biomass projects involving biomass related gene discovery and plant genetic variation.  He is also assessing the impact of different types of biomass feedstocks on the feedstock assembly supply chain and at the biorefinery. Dr. Ulrich is an Advisory Scientist in the Biofuels & Renewable Energy Technology Group at the Idaho National Lab.

Steve Flick

Steve Flick is currently Chairman of the Board of Show Me Energy Cooperative, a cellulosic biomass facility owned by 400 farmers. The 7 million dollar project has been completed and is expected to be operational July 2008, developing and processing energy crops and Agricultural residues into biomass engineered fiber fuel. This fuel is used for coal-firing at a local utility and for heating residents’ homes.

Dr Sylvie Brouder

Dr. Sylvie Brouder is a Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University. Her research is primarily on crop mineral nutrition with a focus in water quality and nutrition balances and losses in agro-ecosystems. She has research experience with cotton, rice, corn, soybean, and alfalfa systems. Additionally, Dr. Brouder is director of Purdue’s Water Quality Field Station (WQFS) which is currently pursuing an interdisciplinary team effort to understand the production and environmental implications of the U.S. biofuel agenda.

Dr. Emily Heaton

While pursuing her doctorate in Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois, Dr Heaton pioneered and led research comparing the biomass production of Miscanthus and switchgrass in the US. research that indicated Miscanthus could produce 250% more ethanol than corn, without requiring additional land. Dr. Heaton worked for two years as the Manager of Energy Crop Product Development at Ceres, Inc, a biotechnology seed company working to become a primary source for bioenergy seed supplier. Dr. Emily Heaton has recently joined Iowa State University as an Assistant Professor of Agronomy focusing on the biomass crop production and physiology.

Dr. Michael Casler

Dr. Michael Casler is a Research Geneticist with the USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison, WI. His research is focused on the genetics and breeding of perennial grasses for forage, bioenergy, and turf applications. He has studied the genetics of cell-wall degradation as related to forage nutritional value and bioenergy feedstock quality, various biotic and abiotic stress tolerances, the evolution and domestication of perennial grasses, and statistical/quantitative methods of data analysis. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in over 25 different journals. He is Editor-in-Chief of two scientific journals, BioEnergy Research and Forage & Grazinglands

Gavin Maxwell

With over 25 years’ experience in the design and deployment of major commercial and NGO programs, Mr Maxwell is credited with an impressive list of innovative strategies that are now deployed and assisting to produce sustainable Bio Energy & Biomass replacements for damaging Hydrocarbons. In 2006, Coolfin designed the Irish Green Energy Service Structure that is now one the leading Biomass Producer Groups in Europe. Mr Maxwell is also an advisor on Industrial Hemp Licensing and author of Agrarius, a Software for Agri Biomass Plantation Management and traceability for carbon offset values. He is a leading advocate for developing regional spatial supply chains to reduce national dependency on imported fossil fuels and is working with USA Partners to develop more productive miscanthus rhizome ‘planting’ and ‘regeneration’ technologies.

Dr. Cristina Negri

As a soil scientist and agronomist, M. Cristina Negri leads the phytotechnologies R&D activities at Argonne National Lab. During her 16-year Argonne appointment, she conducted and directed lab-and full scale projects developing technologies for environmental stewardship and the sustainable production of lignocellulosic energy crops feedstock. These multidisciplinary projects focus on understanding crop/water relationships to maximize both productivity and sustainability, strategies for drought tolerance, and the utilization of alternative water and land resources to achieve maximum productivity and environmental gains.