Hello! I’m Nathan Cude.
Experienced Science Manager & Project Leader
Bio
As the manager of the Plant Biosolutions Applied R&D department at Novonesis North America, I lead a group of remarkable scientists, biostatisticians, and agronomists who are building the next generation of agricultural biosolutions. I've had several different roles in my career that have allowed me to lead diverse projects including investigating synthetic biology for fertilizer replacement, high throughput genome sequencing using automation to sequence thousands of microorganisms, and developing numerous biological solutions for improved crop yields.
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My background is in microbial ecology and plant microbe interactions. I received my PhD in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee. I did postdoctoral research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory where I was a member of the Plant Microbe Interfaces group.
My Experience
Background & Expertise
Senior Manager, Novonesis
June 2024 - Present
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Leading an exceptional team of plant pathologists, microbiologists, entomologists, biostatisticians, and agronomists in the Plant Biosolutions Applied R&D department.
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Together we are developing the next generation of biosolutions for agriculture to increase crop yields and ensure food security for a growing population.
Senior Scientist – Team Leader, Novozymes
July 2014 - June 2024
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Led the nitrogen fixation development project which continues as part of our innovation team project portfolio. Coordinated a team of 40 cross-functional researchers with the goal of replacing chemical fertilizers in corn with nitrogen fixing bacteria. Set project goals, aligned expectations with leadership, and divided project resources and responsibilities into relevant teams to execute the scientific strategy.
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More than doubled the N fixation ability of dozens of microbes using genetic engineering and identified candidate strains that increased plant nitrogen content in early field trials.
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Led the Microbial Discovery project in the Monsanto-Novozymes BioAg Alliance. Coordinated the activities of twelve project team members and directly managed four research associates.
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Built a multi-year product development pipeline that identified dozens of microbial product candidates that increased corn and soy crop yields in the field.
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Ensured thousands of microorganisms were risk assessed, characterized, and prioritized for on time delivery to more than 500,000 corn and soy field trials ran every year of the Alliance. ​​
Post-Doc, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
September 2013 - July 2014
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Elucidated the beneficial roles of bacterial symbionts on plant growth in the lab of Dr. Dale Pelletier as part of the Plant Microbe Interfaces Scientific Focus Area for the US Department of Energy.
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Designed and implemented novel methods to enrich endosymbionts of Populus tree root material for culturing, sorting by flow cytometry, single-cell genomics, and metagenomic sequencing. Published one scientific paper on this work.
Education
Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville
August 2008Â - May 2013
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PhD in Microbiology, Dissertation titled: Genetic and Ecological Characterization of Indigoidine Production by Phaeobacter sp. strain Y4I.
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Investigated the metabolisms of coastal marine bacteria of the Roseobacter lineage. Discovered novel antimicrobial and signaling molecules, and published three scientific papers on the subject while in the lab of Dr. Alison Buchan.
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Honors: Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (2012), Excellence in Graduate Student Research Award (2013)
B.S. University of Tennessee, Knoxville
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Biological Sciences with a concentration in Microbiology.
August 2004Â - May 2008
Scientific Leadership
Science Strategy and Execution
Field Work
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Microbial Insight
Applying Microbial Solutions to
Big Problems