10 Things You Didn’t Know About Eric Ward
Eric Ward is an American businessman who currently serves as the co-CEO of a company called AgBiome. Mr. Ward has an impressive educational and career history with more than thirty years of experience in business with a focus on plant molecular biology. He’s a key player in the advancement of modern agricultural biotechnology, and he stands at the helm of a biotech enterprise with the potential to affect positive changes in the ag industry and the health of the environment. If you’re not familiar with his work, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Eric Ward we found interesting.
1. Eric Ward is a biologist
According to AgBiome, Eric Ward has thirty years of experience in the ag-biotech industry. He’s worked at various jobs and he has built a solid knowledge base of most aspects of the operations. He is a plant molecular biologist who specializes in plant genomics, herbicide tolerance, and plant disease resistance. He also specializes in biological control, crop protection chemical discovery, and intellectual property strategy.
2. Eric Ward is an entrepreneur
Mr. Ward co-founded an ag-biotech company called Cropsolution, Inc. This was an ag chemical discovery company that studied various fungicides. He has the knowledge and experience to know what it takes to make a business run efficiently his experience with his own company helps him to better lead the AgBiome enterprise. Eric also served as the chief executive officer of Cropsolution, Inc.
3. He is a seasoned researcher
After reviewing Mr. Ward’s career history we learned that he has spent many years in the field of research. He has performed research in multiple aspects of agricultural biology with hands-on experience conducting research as well as serving as the head of various research teams as a director and manager. He has a firm grasp on how to effectively manage research-based projects and organizations. He was co-president of Novartis Agribusiness Biotechnology Research.
4. He is a prolific author
Eric Ward is credited with the authorship of over seventy-five scientific publications. His research and involvement with research teams have led to multiple discoveries. He has written many scientific papers and articles that help others to benefit from the core research that he has conducted. At his heart, he is an academic with a passion for making discoveries and for sharing them with the world so the field of agricultural biotechnology can continue to advance.
5. He is an inventor
Dr. Ward is also an inventor. He has used his massive database of knowledge to create various types of intellectual properties that are used in the agricultural biotechnology field. He has secured patents on more than 35 products and processes within the field. This is just a part of the legacy that he is creating within his successful career as a biologist, author, inventor, and leader in the field of agricultural biotechnology.
6. Eric Ward is a P.hD.
According to LinkedIn, Ward was accepted to Duke University in 1978. This was the year that he began his academic career, studying biology. He earned his bachelor’s of science in biology from a prestigious institution in 1982. Upon graduation, he continued his studies without taking a break in between. He was accepted at Washington University in St. Louis in the Ph.D. program in 1982. He studied plant biology and earned his doctoral degree in 1988.
7. He started as a manager
With his PhD. in hand, Ward was hired at Ciba-Geigy as a research manager. This was his first position after completing his studies. He served in this position for 8 years, leaving in 1996 to accepts a post as co-President of ag-biotech research at Novartis. he worked there from 1997 for 3 years, leaving in 2000, when the company became Syngenta. He continued with the organization as co-president of biotechnology for less than a year, leaving to co-found his own company called Cropsolution, Inc. Eric started as a research manager and worked his way up the career ladder. This is how he built a successful career in the ag-biotech industry. It took him several years to move from manager to executive leadership position. His job as co-president was just a stepping stone to achieve higher aspirations. Upon founding Cropsolution, he served as the chief executive officer of the organization from 2001 through 2006, putting in another five years, continuing to build upon his foundation of knowledge as a top-tier leader.
8. Eric Ward is a director of multiple organizations
Dr. Ward’s expertise and advisement are highly valued in the agricultural biotechnology industry. He holds multiple directorships and has done so for several years. He became director of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in July of 2011 and still serves in the position after 10 years and 3 months. He became director of Two Blades Foundation and the North Carolina Biosciences Organization, and Norfolk Plant Sciences in 2007, and still serves as a director of each currently.
9. Eric Ward is President of AgBiome
Dr. Ward was appointed President of AgBiome in December of 2012. He has been with the organization for 8 years and 10 months at its Triangle Park, North Carolina location. He is an asset to any company in the industry and is one of the top experts in the field.
10. You can follow him on Twitter
If you’re interested in learning the latest information about Dr. Eric Ward’s research and projects in the agricultural biotechnology field, he has a social media account. You can follow him on Twitter to learn more about what’s going on. He currently has nearly 600 followers. Ward does an exceptional job of keeping followers up to speed on the latest research projects with the latest discoveries that his research has made. If you’re a fan of ag research, he is a notable figure. Ward consistently reports on innovations and discoveries in the industry. You can follow him on his Twitter account.
