The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) awards biotech industry veteran Vonnie Estes the 4th annual Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology. The award will be presented on Tuesday July 25, 2017 during a lunch plenary session of the 2017 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. The industrial biotechnology and partnering event will be held July 23-26, 2017 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The award is sponsored by the Rosalind Franklin Society, whose goal is to support and showcase the careers of eminent women in science.
“Rosalind Franklin made an important contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Her work serves as an inspiration and model to female scientists,” says Rita R. Colwell, PhD, president of the Rosalind Franklin Society and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland College Park and John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Throughout her distinguished career, Vonnie Estes has made numerous contributions to the commercial development of new biotechnologies, creating revolutionary products that are good for people and the planet.”
Vonnie Estes is currently an independent business consultant. She was most recently vice president of business development at Caribou Biosciences, leading the company’s partnerships and business development activities in agricultural and industrial biotechnology. Prior to joining Caribou Biosciences, Vonnie Estes served as managing director for GranBio where she oversaw the company’s continued expansion and growth across North America and was responsible for identifying and licensing new technologies, overseeing large capital investments and raising brand awareness. Vonnie Estes is a board director of Microvi Biotechnologies, a member of the Iteris ClearAg Advisory Council, a member of the Advisory Board of Agile BioFoundry and a member of Biomass R&D Technical Advisory Committee at the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She formerly served on BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section Governing Board.
For more information, visit: www.bio.org
