PetroAlgae is making fuel and proteins out of lemna (duckweed) in Fellsmere, and is nearing completion of a vertically integrated, scaleable, licensable 5-6,000 gallon per acre microcrop production system. A first master licensee has been announced for China, Taiwan and part of Japan. More on petroalgae at biofuelsdigest.com.

Sapphire Energy said the pace of algae commercialization is increasing and that it will reach commercial scale by 2011, and producing 1 Mgy of diesel and jet fuel from algae that year, double its previous estimate.

Solazyme is selling fuel to the US Navy and the US Air Force – nearly 50,000 gallons in total at a reported cost of $32 per gallon. Life Cycle Associates found that Soladiesel’s full lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are 85 to 93 percent lower than standard petroleum based ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD). More on Solazyme at biofuelsdigest.com.

Synthetic Genomics signed a $600 million R&D deal with ExxonMobil. Half the proceeds will go to SG based on a staged-gate release of funds for meeting undisclosed milestones. More on Synthetic Genomics at biofuelsdigest.com.

BP has signed an R&D partnership with Martek, the leading developer of algae for nutraceutical markets. More on BP at biofuelsdigest.com.

Algenol has signed a $70 million partnership with Dow Chemical for its algae-to-ethanol process, and will establish a project site in Texas at a Dow location. More on Algenol at biofuelsdigest.com.

Solix has opened a pilot-scale plant in Durango, Colorado, partly financed by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. More on Solix at biofuelsdigest.com.

via 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy: Special Voter’s Report on Algae – company updates – Biofuels DIgest : Biofuels Digest – biofuels, biodiesel, ethanol, algae, jatropha, green gasoline, green diesel, and biocrude daily news.

Director of Strain DevelopmentDirector, Strain Development – #2004-1PR

The Director provides technical leadership to a multidisciplinary team conducting innovative microbial strain development research, establishes and advances project goals, and ensures timely completion of project milestones.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

•In collaboration with senior leaders, Director will be responsible for defining and implementing the microbial strain development research program and for ensuring timely completion of milestones related to new and ongoing projects

•Actively conducts and leads research to develop novel photosynthetic microbes with desired properties

•Provides written and oral reports on progress as necessary and assist in the protection of intellectual property through the development and submission of patent applications

•Assists in the establishment of external consulting and service agreements that advance project objectives

•Serves as a technical liaison for project consultants and collaborators

•Ensures staff compliance with all safety policies and practices

•Maintains professional credentials and represents company by presentations at scientific conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals

•Supervises and guides the professional development of direct reports

Qualifications:

•Requires a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Plant Biology or similar field and at least 10 years relevant industry experience. Equivalent education and experience may be considered

•Requires extensive knowledge and direct experience with metabolic and pathway engineering of microbial host strains•Direct experience with photosynthetic microbes, including cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae, is highly desired as well as experience with modification of lipid biosynthetic pathways

•Must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively lead an interdisciplinary team of scientists

via Job: Algae | LinkedIn.