Meet Birch Biosciences' Leadership Team

Johan Kers is the Co-Founder and CEO of Birch Biosciences. He was trained as a microbiologist and molecular biologist at the University of Western Ontario (M.Sc.), Cornell University (PhD), and Stanford School of Medicine (postdoc). Over the following 10 years, he was actively involved in building and operating technology platforms at Intrexon, Ginkgo Bioworks, and Absci. He founded Birch Biosciences in 2021 as an opportunity to improve the circularity of plastic recycling using enzymes. He is an avid hiker and fan of dad jokes.

Emily Duncan, PhD | Co-Founder & COO

Emily Duncan is the Co-Founder and COO of Birch Biosciences. She holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Colorado. Emily has 10+ years of protein biochemistry experience and loves to develop new tools and strategies for protein characterization. She leads Protein Biochemistry, Polymer Chemistry, and Process Development efforts at Birch. Beyond her technical expertise, she’s a skilled lab management and operations expert, driven by a passion for operational efficiency. Outside of work, you'll find her outside, at a concert, or a Trail Blazers game.

Let's build a better future together

We believe that collaboration and community are key to driving meaningful innovation. We partner with businesses, government agencies, and universities to accelerate innovation and commercialization of recycling technologies.

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