Ajit Botejue Email & Phone Number

Santa Monica, California, United States

Provivi Inc. is a biotechnology company and leading provider of crop protection solutions, utilizing pheromone technology as the foundation of an integrated and sustainable pest management system.Functioned as analytical chemist focused on identifying / quantifying compounds in complex fermentation matrices. Oversaw analytical workflows for 3 projects. Collaborated with fermentation engineers and process chemists to scale up fermentations from 1L to 15000L. Owned relevant analytical instruments, including GCFID, GCMS, and HPLC.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:• Developed new sample processing and GC methods to enhance analytical capabilities, resulting in more thorough evaluations of fermentation samples, successful mass balance closure, and effective process scale-up.• Served as project lead to effectively characterize multiple fermentation processes by coordinating activities with in-house personnel and external collaborators within desired times.• Generated defined analytical operating procedures included in 3rd party technology transfers, critical for supporting fermentation process scale-up.

Santa Monica, California

Functioned as analytical chemist focused on identifying / quantifying compounds in complex fermentation matrices. Served as primary owner of analytical workflows for 5 projects. Worked closely with molecular biologists and fermentation engineers to generate key compounds and increase analyte titers.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:• Created / optimized sample processing methods to evaluate fermentations, resulting in > 5x cost savings, 50% greater efficiency, and improved safety standards.• Generated core intellectual property by performing in-depth analysis of fermentation samples to demonstrate enzymatic production of specific compounds.

Greater San Diego Area

BP Biofuels focused on green technology, with an emphasis on generation of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass at industrial scale.Functioned as biochemist focused on substrate / enzyme characterization to optimize fermentation process design for ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Utilized HPLC to evaluate digestibility of pretreated biomass as well as enzyme performance. Thoroughly evaluated chemical pretreatment parameters on various feedstocks, providing guidance for larger-scale applications. Partnered with fermentation engineers, process chemists, and external collaborators to scale up fermentations from laboratory to process scale. ACCOMPLISHMENTS:• Developed small-scale, robust assays to characterize various types of pretreated biomass and enzyme cocktails, resulting in selection of top-performing candidates for evaluation in 1L fermentations.• Performed chemical pretreatment of biomass and optimized process design at laboratory scale, identifying conditions which improved substrate digestibility, lessened sugar loss, and generated lower toxicity hydrolyzates.• Managed and evaluated fermentations at laboratory scale, producing key learnings applied at large scale in 100-10,000L fermentations.