Emily Whitson

Emily Whitson serves as the Director of Microbial Chemistry at Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc., where a multi-year program with the Department of Energy is led, alongside collaborations with Global Algae Innovations, Pacific Northwest National Lab, and Colorado School of Mines. Prior to this role, Emily held various positions at Bayer, including Director of Microbial Chemistry, where strategic project management and external collaborations were emphasized to enhance innovation and research capabilities. Additional roles at Bayer involved leading innovation workshops, enhancing technology development for natural products chemistry, and directing multidisciplinary project teams in biological insecticide discovery. Earlier experience includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute focused on natural products chemistry, a graduate research assistantship at the University of Utah, and an undergraduate research assistantship at Roger Williams University. Emily earned a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Utah and holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Marine Biology from Roger Williams University.