Tedd Elich

Durham Site & GET Lead at Monsanto Company

Experience
Durham Site and GET Lead at Monsanto Company
June 2013 - Present (1 year 1 month)
Vice President and Director of Research at GrassRoots Biotechnology
July 2008 - June 2013 (5 years)
Co-founder of GrassRoots Biotechnology. Contributed to securing initial grant funding and consummating a
research collaboration with Monsanto in order to launch a startup company focused on promoter discovery,
gene discovery, and optimization of root traits for food, biofuels, and industrial markets. Responsibilities
included hiring scientific staff, developing research plans, directing research, participating in business
development activities, and attracting external funding through competitive research grants. The success of
GrassRoots' research programs led to the acquisition of GrassRoots by Monsanto in June 2013.
Director of Biochemistry at Cropsolution Inc.
June 2001 - February 2009 (7 years 9 months)
Led Cropsolutions biochemistry and molecular biology efforts for agrochemical and pharmaceutical
discovery. Discovered a novel class of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) inhibitors that act at the soraphen
binding site and that exhibit differential specificity towards fungal and human ACC. Identified another class
of highly active ACC inhibitors that are mammalian-specific and act at the CT domain. Responsibilities
included directing and implementing research; participating in business development activities; and attracting
external funding through competitive research grants.
Program Leader at Akkadix
December 1999 - May 2001 (1 year 6 months)
Established and implemented the TraitFinder Program: a novel approach to identify genes whose targeted
misexpression confers beneficial agronomic traits. Responsibilities included directing and implementing
research, setting priorities, and establishing budgets, goals, and timelines.
Project Leader at Monsanto
August 1997 - December 1999 (2 years 5 months)
Led a discovery team that employed molecular biology, biochemistry, genetic, and genomic approaches to
understand and modify fundamental aspects of soybean growth and development.
Education
University of California, Davis
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biochemistry
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S., Biochemistry and Math
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Tedd Elich
Durham Site & GET Lead at Monsanto Company
Contact Tedd on LinkedIn
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