Hear our CEO @Dr_Tom_Williams' thoughts on Agriculture and its broader importance. Thanks for hosting a great convo @MichaelWaitze!

From carbon sequestration to reducing livestock #methane & powering biofuels, seaweed is powerful for climate action. But scaling production is tough so we’re using bioengineering & #PrecisionFermentation to harness its potential—unlocking benefits without scaling pitfalls. 🌿

Methane is a major climate opportunity.🫧 Livestock contributes when cows & other ruminants belch methane from their digestive system.🐄 Reducing this is crucial to slowing heating. That’s why we’re developing novel solutions to curb emissions. Learn more: https://t.co/oOovVw0LH0

❌ Myth: Plant-based alternatives should take over from beef & dairy products. ✅ Reality: Through #bioengineering we can make beef & dairy more #sustainable to ensure food security for future generations. Learn more: https://t.co/RhEGPat2Av

#Agriculture is a critical component of modern civilisation, but it has an impact on the environment.🌏 We need creative solutions that make farming more #sustainable. Leveraging #PrecisionFermentation is just one way we can solve this complex problem. 🔬 https://t.co/uFnzaCfBAz

5️⃣How will #bioengineering change over the next 5-10yrs? For a long time the field viewed the cell as a machine that could be understood & engineered, like a car. Over the next 10yrs evolution & AI will become more prevalent to tackle the noisiness of biological systems. 🔬

4️⃣What are you most passionate about? The driving principle behind my work is to try & be helpful. The world is facing some tough challenges across lots of different spheres. As scientists have the opportunity & obligation to attempt to remedy some of those challenges. 🧑‍🔬

3️⃣What’s your educational background? I studied biomedical science for my undergraduate at the University of Queensland. I then completed a Masters of Research & PhD at Macquarie University, where my work focused on evolutionary techniques for the production of chemicals. 🎓

2️⃣What’s most exciting about No.8 Bio? #MethaneEmissions are a risk to the planet & we’ve a limited time to deal with them. What we’re developing can help in 5yrs instead of 50, helping reverse our climate impact + we can achieve this without upending the #agriculture sector.🐮

1️⃣Why #bioengineering? Evolution has an amazing constructive ability. For thousands of years humans used it to improve the plants & animals around us to make our existence easier & more enjoyable. We can do the same thing with microbes to help protect the #environment. 🌏

Our chief scientific officer Dr Alex Carpenter is driven by using the principles of evolution to make agriculture more #sustainable. We sat down for a quick interview to learn more (thread)👇

There’s a myth that dairy & beef farming are completely unsustainable & should be phased out.👎 However, solutions exist that can mitigate their impact so they can continue alongside other sustainable food production methods.🐮 https://t.co/RhEGPat2Av

How do we lower emissions & save farmers money? 🧑‍🌾 By #engineering microbes in food additives for cattle, we’re giving farmers a solution that strikes the right balance between #sustainability, output, and environmental impact. https://t.co/uFnzaCg9q7

5️⃣ How do you think the #bioengineering space will change over the next 5–10 years? The future is notoriously difficult to predict, but I believe it will become a normal integrated part of every industry and will be deployed where its unique advantages are most valuable. 🌎

4️⃣ What are you most passionate about? Aside from being a proud father 💕, I love working in a team towards a shared goal. More broadly, I’m passionate about #sustainability and how we can achieve it at industrial levels to help set humanity up for the long haul.

3️⃣ What is your educational background? BSc in Biochemistry (2009) and MSc in Microbiology (2011) from the University of Waikato. PhD in Synthetic Biology from The University of Queensland (2015).

2️⃣ What is the most exciting thing about Number 8 Bio? The team & the vision we pursue. I work with some very talented people that stand to make a big positive impact through their work on decarbonising #agriculture. There is never a dull moment at Number 8 Bio.

1️⃣ Why bioengineering? When I was a Master of Sci student, I realised that #biology was entering a new era where we will have the tech to design/create living systems with unprecedented control & could use this power to better understand life & reduce our environmental impact.🌱

Our CEO & Co-Founder @Dr_Tom_Williams is driven by achieving large-scale #sustainable practices to set humanity up for the long haul. We sat down for a quick interview to learn more (thread)👇

🦸By bioengineering naturally-occurring yeasts to harness the superpowers of #seaweed, our feed additives for cattle are a safe, scalable and incredibly productive way to reduce methane #emissions.