Lee Rybeck Lynd

Lee Rybeck Lynd, professor of engineering and adjunct professor of biological sciences, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, and Professor Extraordinary of Microbiology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

“Plant biomass is the only foreseeable sustainable source of organic fuels, chemicals, and materials,” says Lee Rybeck Lynd, “and is thus an essential component of the coming transition toward reliance on sustainable resources.” Since 1987 Lynd has led an interdisciplinary research group at Dartmouth in biochemical engineering and applied biology relevant to processing cellulosic biomass.

Lynd obtained his undergraduate degree from Bates College (B.S. in biology, 1979) before undertaking graduate study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (M.S. in bacteriology, 1981).

He added a second master’s degree, in engineering, from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College (1983), where he also earned a doctorate in engineering (1987). Currently he also is co-leader of a project titled “The Role of Biomass in America’s Energy Future” (RBAEF), led jointly by Dartmouth and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In addition to his research, he co-founded Mascoma Corp., a cellulosic biofuels start-up company in Cambridge, Mass., for which he is chief technology officer.

Lynd is the author of more than 65 peer-reviewed manuscripts and five book chapters and holds 10 current or pending patents. He has received several awards for his work, including the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, the Charles A. Lindbergh Award in recognition of efforts to promote a balance between environmental preservation and technological advancement, and the Charles D. Scott Award for distinguished contributions to the field of biotechnology for fuels and chemicals.