MicroBioGen expands research team with yeast expert

MicroBioGen, an Australian industrial biotechnology and yeast innovation technology solutions leader, has appointed experienced yeast biotechnology and genetics researcher Dr Heinrich Kroukamp as Deputy Head of Research.

Kroukamp has nearly a decade’s experience in working with and researching yeast — spanning sustainable foods such as animal-free dairy and oils to aroma compound production, fermentation, yeast breeding, synthetic yeast genomics, biofuels and bioinformatics — across academic and industry settings.

Prior to his appointment at MicroBioGen, Kroukamp was the team lead of yeast metabolic engineering at All G Foods, an Australian precision fermented dairy company. He also held the role of technology lead for synthetic biology at Nourish Ingredients, a food technology company creating animal-free fats.

In his newly appointed role, Kroukamp will work closely with MicroBioGen Head of Research and co-founder Dr Philip Bell in providing leadership and direction to team leaders across biofuels, baking, animal feeds, human nutrition and biochemicals using MicroBioGen’s proprietary platform technology. He will also have a hands-on role in researching and developing new yeast strains, drawing on evolutionary genetics, cell biology and microbial physiology.

MicroBioGen CEO and co-founder Geoff Bell said: “It is an exciting time for Dr Heinrich to join MicroBioGen during our growth phase as we continue to expand our portfolio of world-leading yeast products and progress our research and development of yeast strains for diverse applications across industries and globally.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Dr_Microbe