Mark Held

Mark Held has over twenty years of experience in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology. Mark began their career in 1999 when they obtained an HBSc in Biology from Trent University. From 2003 to 2006, they worked as a Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant, and M.Sc. Graduate Student at the University of Waterloo. During their M.Sc., they studied the pea plant and its physiology. Mark then went on to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario, where they researched legume genetics and genomics. From 2006 to 2011, they worked as a Research Assistant and Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Minnesota, and also served as a mentor for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In 2014, they joined Intrexon Corporation's Energy division as a Scientist for Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology, where they developed and validated components of a genetic toolbox for non-model hosts. From 2018 to 2022, they worked at Lygos as an Associate Director for Strain Operations and Systems Biology, Senior Scientist, and Scientist III. Finally, they are currently the Director for Strain Development and Protein Biochemistry at Air Protein.

Mark Held completed a Post Doctoral Research in Bioenergy and Biotechnology at the University of Minnesota from 2011 to 2014. Prior to this, they completed a Ph.D. in Legume Molecular Genetics at Western University from 2006 to 2010. Mark also completed an M.Sc. in Legume Physiology at the University of Waterloo from 2003 to 2005 and an H.B.Sc. in Biology at Trent University from 1999 to 2003.