NCLifeSci AgTech Luncheon and Forum: Navigating the Agricultural Regulatory Landscape

Patrick Doyle, Ph.D., lead, regulatory affairs for North America and global biologicals, PI AgSciences

Doyle has 35 years of industry experience with roles covering research and development, product management, business development, regulatory and quality management. He received a B.S. in agriculture and a M.S. in soil science and biochemistry from the University of Saskatchewans where he focused on evaluation of biological fertilizer technologies. He has Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Guelph where he focused on discovery and development of recombinant peptides as alternatives to synthetic fungicides.  

Tim Kelliher, Ph.D., director, Genome Editing Center for Sustainable Agriculture, NC State University 

Kelliher is the Roberts and Mikhail Distinguished Chair in Plant Genome Editing at North Carolina State University. He also leads the Genome Editing Center, which is focused on rapid deployment of novel genetic traits in row crops, specialty crops and ornamental species. Prior to joining NC State, Kelliher spent 12 years at Syngenta Seeds, leading crop trait and technology discovery. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from Stanford University.

Megan Lyman, general counsel, Phospholutions

Lyman oversees all legal aspects, from international manufacturing and intellectual property strategy to navigating complex regulatory landscapes and managing corporate and compliance matters. Her career is marked by a deep commitment to innovation. She previously founded Lyman Consulting, where she provided invaluable strategic IP advice to venture and small companies specifically within the dynamic ag biotech sector. Prior to that, she served as general counsel for Oerth Bio and was general/intellectual property counsel for AgTech Accelerator, where she played an instrumental role in assessing, funding and building valuable IP portfolios for emerging companies. Lyman holds a B.S. in biology from Allegheny College, an M.S. in molecular biology from the University of Colorado and a J.D. from Pepperdine University. 

Gina Sloan, Ph.D., chief executive officer and founder, AGRITX

Sloan is focused on improving health and quality of life by translating basic science into new products and markets. She specializes in leadership, product development, commercialization, microbiome investigation, infectious disease and assay development. Before founding Agritx, Sloan served as a scientific advisory board member at Procter & Gamble, overseeing research and development efforts, and spent ten years at Microban International as director of microbiology and director of innovations. Sloan holds a B.S. in biology from Western Carolina University and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from Wake Forest University.