Bert has been using plant science to build a more sustainable future for nearly the last 20 years. Beginning as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Illinois, he studied the impact of rising carbon dioxide and other climate changes on crop plants. During his Ph.D. studies in Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, Bert engineered photosynthetic bacteria to produce liquid fuels that could serve as drop-in replacements for diesel.

During stints in the St. Louis start-up scene, Bert has been working to produce sustainable biopesticides from microbes that offer growers safe, non-toxic methods to protect their crops from pests and diseases.