Robb Stankey

Education/degrees:

BS, Biology, University of Washington
PhD, Genetics, UW–Madison

Current position or career path:

After completing my PhD in the genetics of plant photoreception, I did a postdoc in the Bacteriology Department with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, studying how bacteria can aid in the conversion of plant biomass into useful, renewable bioproducts. Then I transitioned to industry to a small, Madison-based biotech company called Terra Bioforge, where I have been for 7 years. In my role, I design and manage projects for engineering bacteria and fungi towards production of natural products like antibiotics.

Advice for current graduate students and postdocs:

Because you are at the forefront of human knowledge, you are in a unique position to invent applications based on your research that could benefit society. Give some thought to how your work can be applied in different areas of society. UW-Madison researchers have a huge resource in WARF, and getting a patent can greatly help your future career.