4 minutes with… James Wynn, Director Bio-based Technology Derisking, MBI

Tell us about your company and it’s role in the Advanced Bioeconomy.

MBI is a non-profit company, committed to accelerating bio-based and sustainable technologies to commercialization, through its pioneering derisking process. In addition to derisking technologies for clients, MBI is working to commercialize 3 major bio-based technologies, the most revolutionary of these being the AFEX biomass pretreatment.

Tell us about your role and what you are focused on in the next 12 months.

At MBI (Michigan Biotechnology Institute), I oversee the development of biobased technology. The next 12 months will be a hugely exciting time as we push three technologies to commercialization”the most dramatic of these being AFEX (named one of 2014’s most transformative technologies in the Transformative Pretreatment section, Biofuels Digest, March 11, 2014). MBI is finalizing plans to transition AFEX from pilot to commercial scale over the next five years. This technology has the potential to revolutionize cellulosic biorefinery logistics through the use of low-density energy crops and agricultural residues and kick-starting the second generation bioeconomy by providing a versatile and transportable cellulosic feedstock.

What do you feel are the most important milestones the industry must achieve in the next 5 years?  

The industry needs to achieve widespread legitimacy. I still hear skepticism about how biobased technologies can compete against petrochemicals, despite the huge strides that have already been made. We need to see more examples of biobased technologies that can stand up to that rigor”precisely the type of technologies that MBI accelerates

If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about the Advanced Bioeconomy, what would you change?

I’d like to remove the hype that some companies employ to sell their technologies. Over-hyping technologies that subsequently fail to deliver hurts the industry as a whole and makes future investment tougher to obtain.

Of all the reasons that influenced you to join the Advanced Bioeconomy industry, what single reason stands out for you as still being compelling and important to you?  

To use science to help solve one of the most fundamental challenges of our time: how to provide for a growing human population without destroying the Earth’s environment in the process. Eliminating the human race’s dependence on unsustainable resources is imperative. It’s that challenge and dream that gets me up each morning.

Where are you from? 

The United Kingdom, originally Staffordshire, but I spent 10 years in Yorkshire before immigrating to the USA in 2001.

What was your undergraduate major in college, and where did you attend? Why did you choose that school and that pathway?

I studied Applied Biology at the University of Cardiff and Microbial Biochemistry at the University of Hull. I selected Cardiff as they allowed a year in industry as part of the course (in hindsight a hugely beneficial thing) and Hull because of the concentration in industrial biotechnology that I really wanted to focus on.

Who do you consider your mentors – could be personal, business, or just people you have read about and admire. What have you learned from them?

Mr. Brian Hopton (my high school biology teacher) and Colin Ratledge (my PhD supervisor at University of Hull, UK) both played immense roles in opening my eyes to the wonders of biology and the opportunities that are available for the use of biology to make a positive impact.

What’s the biggest lesson you ever learned during a period of adversity?  

You have to “do what you believe in, and believe in what you do.” If you are merely half-hearted”or not fully committed”to what you are doing, then it’s very hard to get through when things get tough.

What hobbies do you pursue, away from your work in the industry?  

Endurance sports, ultra-running, and adventure racing.

What books or articles are on your reading list right now, or you just completed and really enjoyed?  

Born to Run (Christopher McDougall) and An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth (Col. Chris Hadfield). Both are non-fiction accounts of people achieving incredible things, through the power of the human spirit; following their dreams; and hard work.

What’s your favorite city or place to visit, for a holiday?  

I’ve only just discovered Michigan’s Upper Peninsula within the past 5 years. This area is spectacular”a real hidden gem in both summer and winter.