David Melis is a Leader in Fermentation Technology and Biomanufacturing at Self-employed. He possess expertise in purification, assay development, technology transfer, biofuels, biotechnology and 14 more skills. Colleagues describe him as "David is the kind of leader that every company wishes to have. I was lucky enough to work under David for almost two years at Shiru while he was the Director of Fermentation, overseeing and advising all bioprocessing functions from fermentation screening to downstream processing (DSP) scale-up. As a technical leader, David communicated complex data-driven topics with ease, enabling seamless decision making in conversations about fermentation data, host choice, and business development. The combination of his hands-on experience, vast knowledge, and drive to continue learning made him indispensable for every project we worked on together. He helped steer me towards affordable solutions for larger volume handling and guided titer correlations between Ferm and DSP. At the same time, David often asked me questions to gain a better understanding of my work in DSP and encouraged me to provide technical feedback in larger conversations. He demonstrated a genuine desire to enable those around him to succeed in their work. As a manager and mentor, David embodied servant leadership. He opened every group meeting asking for roadblocks or challenges the team was facing. He quickly had a proven track record of addressing these challenges or pulling in the right resources to get over the roadblock. For example, David spearheaded the hiring of a part-time lab technician after learning about the growing burden of facilities upkeep on the research associates. It was even little things, like tirelessly tracking down the culprit of a strange smell in the lab and overseeing the contractors who solved the problem. Throughout that, David was always transparent in his decision making. He always shared business critical information with our team and how it affected our work. Personally, David took the time to learn more about me and my motivations and used this information to help me develop into a better leader and teammate. In essence, David elevated those around him and his willingness to be a part of any conversation, easy or hard, demonstrated his genuine care for his coworkers and their work. David's leadership style is an inspiration, and he will undoubtedly provide any organization with his unique combination of technical prowess, mentorship, and friendly disposition.", "David is a phenomenal leader, and a valuable asset to any project he is involved in. I am incredibly grateful to have been a direct report to David during his role as Director of Fermentation at Shiru, and in his reporting line during his role as Director of Fermentation at Lygos. His technical knowledge of fermentation theory and platforms has expedited the capabilities of every company he has been involved with. At Lygos, David oversaw the on-boarding and success of several different projects. At Shiru, David was responsible for establishing fermentation capabilities for both, the 5L benchtop scale, and the 20L pilot scale. David's interpersonal skills distinguish him as a truly valuable leader. His patience, curiosity, and "can-do" spirit allows him to elevate the coworkers all around him. David exercises his proficiency in providing feedback and coaching to efficiently grow the skillets of those in his reporting line. This enables high quality work output from his reports. Additionally, David's growth-mindset helps establish and sustain a positive work environment that anyone would feel lucky to find themselves a part of.", and "I worked under David as part of the Process Development team at Shiru. David is an exceptional manager with deep-rooted technical expertise in Fermentation process development. But his contributions went beyond only the technical, as he demonstrated remarkable leadership qualities, especially his commitment to going above and beyond his assigned role and fill in critical gaps in any organization. He played a pivotal part in building out our internal pilot plant, where his involvement spanned from designing and bringing infrastructure / utilities online to installing and commissioning bioreactor systems. While I was building out the DSP side of the Pilot Plant and trying to make everything food-safe, David's support was invaluable. David's ability to fill in gaps wherever necessary showcases his versatility and dedication to the success of the company as a whole. In summary, I wholeheartedly recommend David to any organization seeking a leader with not only strong technical skills in Process Development & Engineering but also someone who can inspire and guide teams to achieve greater goals."