News and Updates

Congratulations to SIMB’s newly elected leaders

Published on: April 8, 2026​

The 2026 SIMB Election concluded on March 31, and the votes have been ratified by the Elections Committee. SIMB thanks each candidate for their willingness to serve the Society; volunteer leaders either in official capacities or as active members are the lifeblood of the Society, its community, and its future.

2026 Board of Directors Election Results

2026-2027 President-Elect: Mark Blenner
2026-2029 Treasurer: Adam Guss
2026-2029 Director: Chris Stowers

Mark, Adam, and Chris will start their terms at this year’s SIMB Annual Meeting to be held in Austin, Texas from August 2-5, 2026.

Constitutional Amendments Results

Student members eligibility to vote: Approved
Secretary/Treasurer vacancy procedures: Approved

Eligible SIMB student members will be able to vote in the next SIMB election. Secretary/Treasurer vacancy procedures are effective immediately.”

Meet your President-Elect


Mark Blenner
University of Delaware
Dr. Blenner is the Thomas & Kipp Gutshall Career Development Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware. Prior to that, he was the McQueen Quattlebaum Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Clemson University. He received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College in 2004, and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University in 2009.

Mark’s research interests include metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, biocatalysis, natural products, biomanufacturing, and microbial community engineering – which align perfectly with SIMB’s foci. His research is broadly focused on engineering biomolecular and cellular systems to produce fuels, chemicals, enzymes, biopharmaceuticals and biosensors. He is interested in the use of synthetic biology to promote the translation of research to application. He works in various non-model and non-conventional hosts. His work has been recognized by the community through several awards including the 2025 Langer Prize for Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the 2022 AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical, and Bioengineering Division Early Career Award, the 2022 Biochemical Engineering Journal Young Investigator Award, the 2021 ACS BIOT Young Investigator Award, and the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

Mark has been actively involved in SIMB since 2015. Most recently, Mark has served as a member of the SIMB Board in the role of Secretary. He was the program chair for the 2022 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, and has served in other SIMB leadership roles. He is currently a member of the Awards Committee (2025), the Education Committee (2022), and the Webinar Committee (2023). He was previously a member of the Nominating Committee (2020). In addition, Mark has chaired numerous technical sessions and participated in all of SIMB’s meetings.

Mark is excited for the opportunity to serve in the role of SIMB President. Should he be elected, his strategic priorities will focus on giving SIMB an EDGE:

  • Elevate our voice
  • – Promoting the voice of SIMB in matters of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology and Bioeconomy
  • – Enhancing partnerships with related societies and organizations in the US and abroad
  • – Create avenues for engaging with emerging topics
  • Deepen engagement with our members
  • – Expand the value of SIMB outside of meetings
  • – Developing an identity for SIMB
  • Grow our membership
  • – Creating better incentive structures for membership
  • – Foster development of future members and leaders
  • Efficiently operate Society business
  • – Promote the Society’s long-term financial health
  • – Exploring new and alternative models for meetings

Meet your Treasurer for 2026-2029


Adam Guss
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
“I am a Genetic and Metabolic Engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). I earned my PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign in the lab of Bill Metcalf, followed by postdoctoral positions at Harvard University with Colleen Cavanaugh and Dartmouth College with Lee Lynd. I have been at ORNL for 15 years, where my research group focuses on the development of genetic tools for non-model microbes and the use of those tools for metabolic engineering. Applications include production of fuels and chemicals from renewable (lignocellulose) or waste (plastics, syngas) feedstocks and engineering of microbiomes. I am passionate about collaborations between academic, government, and industry researchers to develop technologies that bring a positive impact to society.

SIMB is my ‘home’ society. I have been involved in SIMB conferences for nearly two decades, including as a speaker, session convener, and as part of the Program Committee for the Biocatalysis track (2015) and the Metabolic Engineering track (2016-2018). In 2021, I was the Program Chair for the SIMB Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. Most recently, I served on the SIMB Board of Directors from 2022–2025. I would be honored to serve SIMB as Treasurer for the 2026–2028 term.

As a member of the Board of Directors, I saw the importance of securing the financial health of SIMB in order to ensure that we can continue providing maximum value to our members. Beyond finances, my goal will be to help the Society maintain our excellent reputation for promoting applied science and bringing together the industrial microbiology community. Extending this, I would like to see the Society do more to facilitate collaborations and knowledge transfer between academia and industry. I also advocate for increased participation in SIMB by early career researchers, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers and facilitating networking and career mentoring, helping to support and train the next generation of industrial microbiologists. SIMB plays a critical role in industrial microbiology, and I am excited for the opportunity to serve our community.”

Meet your Director for 2026-2029


Chris Stowers
Kerry Group
Chris Stowers currently serves as Vice President of BioFermentation Operations and Process Technology at Kerry Group, where he oversees more than ten biomanufacturing sites and leads a global team of process technology experts responsible for scaling new products and optimizing existing product lines. He brings nearly two decades of biotechnology leadership experience across R&D, manufacturing science and technology (MSAT), and operations, having held senior leadership roles at Dow, DowDuPont, Corteva Agrisciences, DSM, dsm-firmenich and Kerry. Throughout his career, Chris has guided teams in developing and commercializing a broad portfolio of products including biochemicals, agricultural chemicals, bioplastics, nutritional lipids, carotenoids, vitamins, and probiotics. He has also directed the design, commissioning, and startup of multiple pilot- and commercial-scale fermentation facilities.

Chris has been an active member of SIMB since his graduate school days twenty years ago. From his first meeting, he found a strong sense of community and collaboration that has shaped his professional development. In return for the society’s significant impact on his career, he has remained deeply committed to service. Chris has served as Chair of the SIMB Fermentation Committee, organized sessions at both RAFT® and the SIMB Annual Meeting, served as a poster judge on several occasions and delivered numerous presentations over the past fifteen years. Since 2019, he has taught the Advanced Fermentation Concepts workshop held prior to the RAFT ®meeting, helping train the next generation of fermentation scientists and engineers. He is also an active mentor in the SIMB Mentorship Program since its inception and frequently reviews manuscripts for JIMB. In 2023–2024, he co-led the SIMB initiative Accelerating the Bioeconomy Through a Pre-Competitive Knowledgebase for Biomanufacturing and Biotechnology and has actively advocated for the US bioeconomy on Capitol Hill for the last several years.

As a Director, Chris aims to uphold SIMB’s high standards for scientific excellence across its meetings and journal. He is committed to strengthening the Xociety’s partnership with industry by ensuring its programming remains both scientifically cutting-edge and industrially relevant. He also plans to continue expanding the mentorship program so that emerging biotechnology leaders are well-prepared and well-supported for the challenges ahead. Lastly, continuing to grow SIMB membership will be a priority, with a focus on attracting members from all three sectors: industry, government and academia.

Chris holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (2004) and a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University (2008).

About SIMB
The Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) is a nonprofit, international association dedicated to the advancement of microbiological sciences, especially as they apply to industrial products, biotechnology, materials, and processes. Founded in 1949, SIMB promotes the exchange of scientific information through its meetings and publications, and serves as liaison among the specialized fields of microbiology. Membership in the Society is extended to all scientists and companies in the general field of microbiology.