NEWS

Mark A. Eiteman

Inventor’s Award 2014

Mark A. Eiteman, professor in UGA’s College of Engineering, is the inventor of multiple technologies directed at the industrial production of important commodity and specialty chemicals using microorganisms. These technologies include amino acids used in animal feed and nutritional supplements; a commodity chemical, which is a non-toxic, environmentally benign antifreeze and also the precursor to many chemicals and therapeutic agents; and a group of organic acids used in the production of polymers, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Each of these technologies, licensed to four multinational companies with global manufacturing and distribution capabilities, has been implemented on an industrial scale for a variety of uses. His ingenuity is further illustrated by the development of processes and engineered organisms for the simultaneous microbial fermentation of pentoses and hexoses leading to the production of biofuels and multiple commodity chemicals. Eiteman is a named inventor in five U.S. Issued Patents and multiple foreign patents.