Stephanie Culler

Stephanie Culler is the Co-Founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences, a biotechnology company she has been leading since July 2017.1 With a strong background in chemical engineering and biotechnology, Culler has extensive experience in developing innovative technologies for the chemical and biotech industries.

Education and Early Career

Culler received her education from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where she:

• Completed her graduate studies in Chemical Engineering (2003-2009)1
• Worked as an HHMI Postdoctoral Scholar (2009-2010)1

During her time at Caltech, she developed high-throughput cell-based screening platforms and engineered novel ligand-regulated nucleic acid devices to control gene expression in mammalian cells.1

Professional Experience

Before founding Persephone Biosciences, Culler held several positions that shaped her expertise:

• Sr. Research Scientist at Genomatica (2010-2017): She led biotechnology projects focused on developing fermentation processes and technology platforms for producing industrial chemicals from renewable feedstocks.1

• Project Lead for Production of Butadiene from Sugars: Culler worked on metabolic engineering of E. coli for the production of butadiene, a major component of synthetic rubber.1

• Technical Lead for Syngas to Chemicals: She contributed to the metabolic engineering of E. coli to convert carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and molecular hydrogen into higher-order chemical structures.1

Persephone Biosciences

As Co-Founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences, Culler is focused on delivering industry-leading technologies for the development of microbiome-targeted solutions.1 Her work at Persephone appears to be centered around:

• Gut microbiome research
• Exploring the concept of "food as medicine"
• Addressing health equity issues

Culler is actively involved in speaking engagements and podcasts related to biotechnology, gut health, and the future of food technology.234