Eli spent time with the Smithsonian, UN, and Fulbright while working as an international conservationist, before getting a PhD in plant genetic engineering in Heike Sederoff’s lab in pursuit of biotech inventions that can change the equation on sustainability. He became an expert in agricultural synthetic biology through work on biofuels, plant protein, and fertilizer-saving microbes before founding Elysia Creative Biology. Eli was named a 2024 Activate Fellow in support of his work in climate biotech, and has received degrees and awards from Duke, UNC, NC State Harvard Business School, the NSF, and the Robertson Foundation. Eli named the company after Elysia chlorotica, one of his favorite animals.

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