Elijah Akinbiyi-Brown
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Engineering Technology & Management for Ag Systems
IBRL Team
Noah Aldrin
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Food Science & Human Nutrition
Avery Allaria
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Accounting and Information Systems
Dr. Vijay Singh
Dr. Vijay Singh is a Founder Professor in Grainger College of Engineering, Distinguished Professor of Bioprocessing in the college of ACES, Executive Director of Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Deputy Director of the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation. His research is on the development of bioprocessing […]
Dr. Beth Conerty
Beth Conerty joined IBRL in December 2017 as the Business Development Manager. She is working to grow relationships with industry and help bring projects into the IBRL facility. Beth has a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and a Professional Science Master’s in Bioenergy from University of Illinois. She has a doctorate in Energy Science and Engineering from […]
Brian Jacobson
Brian Jacobson joined IBRL in February 2012 and is responsible for leadership of the IBRL and FSHN Pilot Processing Plant facilities. He also serves as the Program Manager for Infrastructure for the iFAB Tech Hub and on the advisory board of the Biomass Innovation Hub. He is responsible for oversight of the pilot plant facilities’ […]
Drew Borbely
Title: Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: borbely2@illinois.edu
Drew joined the Food Science Pilot Plant Team in January of 2024 as a Pilot Plant Specialist. He graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois concentrating in Food Science. He has previously worked as a product developer for PepsiCo on the Mountain Dew and Energy […]
Jedi Brown
Jedi Brown serves as a Pilot Plant Senior Specialist for the Food Science Pilot Processing Plant and the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Since joining the team in 2017, Jedi has played a key role in the growth and development of the pilot plant programs, helping transform them into nationally […]
Aiden Bui
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2027
Major: Concentration - Engineering Technology & Management for Agriculture Systems
Sadie Cadugan
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Graduating May 2028
Major: Chemical Engineering
Jefferson Chandra
Title: Academic Hourly
Email: jeffc3@illinois.edu
Jefferson Chandra joined IBRL in July 2025 as a Graduate Hourly on the Analytical Team, and after continually developing his skills across the lab is now working as an Academic Hourly. He has a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Purdue University and a Master’s in Operations Research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Eric Chen
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Chemical Engineering
Bobby Crowley
Title: Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: robertc2@illinois.edu
Bobby joined IBRL in June 2022 as a member of the Down Stream Processing Team. In August of 2023 he was promoted to Pilot Plant Specialist. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previously, Bobby worked as a Food Technician at Tyson […]
Adam Davis
Title: Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: adamd2@illinois.edu
Adam Davis joined IBRL in June 2023 as a member of the Downstream Processing Team. In the summer of 2024, Adam joined the Fermentation Team and was promoted to Pilot Plant Specialist. He has a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Previously, he worked in the oilseed industry as a process […]
Zemme Frankowski
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Food Science & Human Nutrition
Robert “BJ” Glasa
Email: rjglasa@illinois.edu
BJ has been with the IBRL since 2019. He started at UA Local 149 in 1997 and worked for outside contractors for 22 years before coming to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is the lead pipefitter for both the IBRL and the Food Science and Human Nutrition Pilot Processing Plant and manages the installation […]
Elise Goulding
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Robin Halstead
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Integrative Biology
Luxuan Han
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Concentration - Food Science & Human Nutrition
Jean Hsieh
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Graphic Design
Nihar Jog
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2027
Major: Concentration - Bioprocessing & Bioenergy
Adam Kastleman
Title: Academic Hourly
Email: adamk7@illinois.edu
Adam joined IBRL in May 2023 as an Undergraduate Intern on the Down Stream Processing Team before being promoted to Academic Hourly in August 2025. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering and a minor in the Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Fellows Program from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Adam is […]
Erin Kealey
Title: Visiting Food Pilot Plant & Regulatory Specialist
Email: ekealey@illinois.edu
Erin Kealey joined IBRL in Fall 2022 as an Academic Hourly on the fermentation team. In January 2023, Erin began her Master’s degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in and applied food safety and microbiology. After completing her MS, she returned to IBRL/FSHN-PPP in 2025 as the […]
Lynzee Kraushaar
Title: iFAB Business Specialist
Email: lynzeek@uillinois.edu
Lynzee joined the team in November 2025 as the iFAB Business Specialist. Lynzee willmanage, coordinate, and implement business functions of the iFAB Tech Hub and itslead, IBRL, while ensuring compliance with departmental, university, state, and federalpolicies. She studied at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where she received herBachelor of Science in communication and Master of Business […]
Santhosh Kumar
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2027
Major: Concentration - Bioprocessing & Bioenergy
Chloe Lembong
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Food Science & Human Nutrition
Kevin Lerner
Title: Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: klerner@illinois.edu
Kevin Lerner joined IBRL in October 2025 as a Bioprocessing Pilot Plant Specialist on the Fermentation Team. He holds a B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Gettysburg College and an M.S. in Biotechnology from Northwestern University. Before IBRL, he worked in pharmaceutical R&D at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and later at […]
Yanjun Li
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2026
Major: Concentration - Food Science & Human Nutrition
Alexander Lin
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Bioengineering
Weijun Liu
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Ananya Mani
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Marie Mann
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Biochemistry
Kady Nguyen
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Phillip Manning
Phillip Manning joined IBRL in January 2019 as a pilot plant specialist. Phillip has a bachelors degree in Biological Sciences from Eastern Illinois University. Previously, Phillip worked at the Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Tate and Lyle pilot plants. His focus included process improvements and new fermentation opportunities. Phillip also has experience with separations and […]
Nancy McCrone
Title: Analytical Lab Specialist
Email: mccrone2@illinois.edu
Nancy McCrone joined IBRL as a Bioprocessing Lab Specialist in June 2023. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Crop Sciences and a concentration in Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology. Prior to joining IBRL, she was the QC Specialist at ADM BioProducts Lab in Decatur, Illinois.
Tom McKenna
Title: Senior Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: tmckenn2@illinois.edu
Tom McKenna joined IBRL in March 2022. He has a Bachelor’s in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In August of 2023, Tom was promoted to Senior Pilot Plant Specialist and currently leads IBRL’s DSP Team. Previously, he spent 10 years at a chemical manufacturer in both quality and research positions […]
Joe Melnyk
Title: Junior Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: jwmelnyk@illinois.edu
Joe joined the Food Science Pilot Plant in the Fall of 2023, after spending roughly 8 years in the craft beer industry. During that time he developed a passion for recipe generation and refinement. He also has a keen interest in quality control, and quality assurance within food production. Before starting in the beer industry Joe received a […]
Taylor Meredith
Title: iFAB Communications Manager
Email: tmmered@illinois.edu
Taylor Meredith joined IBRL in February of 2025 as the Communications Manager for iFAB. She is also helping support IBRL messaging, particularly through social media and the IBRL website. She moved from Columbus, Ohio, where she worked as a communications specialist at the headquarters of a major retailer. Her earlier experience stems from tourism marketing. […]
Will Neff
Title: Academic Hourly
Email: wdneff2@illinois.edu
Will joined the iFAB as an Undergraduate Student Intern in August 2024. He works closely with data collection and tracking for the Tech Hub and its consortium members, including the EDA Baseline Survey and internal and external tracking efforts. Will recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2026 with a B.A. […]
Yang Ning
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2026
Major: Concentration - Food Science & Human Nutrition
Marissa Nyland
Marissa Nyland joined IBRL in January 2022 as a member of the fermentation team. In February of 2024 she was promoted to the Assistant Director of Operations & Safety to manage safety programs, oversee construction projects, and ensure the smooth day-to-day operation of the pilot plant. She has a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of […]
Hana Ostrander
Title: Junior Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: hostra2@illinois.edu
Hana Ostrander joined IBRL in October 2023 as a Junior Pilot Plant Specialist on the fermentation team. She has a Bachelor’s in Integrative Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining IBRL, she was an analytical chemist at an agronomy lab in Champaign, and she worked as a lab technician at ADM’s […]
Hope Park
Title: Junior Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: hopejp2@illinois.edu
Hope Park graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Illinois with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Food Science. Upon graduating she interned at the ADM Modeling Center located in Illinois’s Research Park, creating process simulations and financial models for various R&D and prospective optimization projects. She was later hired as an ADM […]
Kerri Peters
Title: Ongoing Education Specialist
Email: kerrip@illinois.edu
Kerri joined IRBL’s Business Office in September of 2022 helping to keep the day-to-day office operations running smoothly. In March of 2026 she was promoted to Ongoing Education Specialist, overseeing the growth and development of IBRL’s industry facing educational programming. Kerri has a B.A. in Political Science from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Over the past decade, she has specialized […]
Tyler Pham
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Dr. Alex Polidore
Title: Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: alexp2@illinois.edu
Alex Polidore is a microbiologist with over a decade of combined academic and industry laboratory experience, specializing in biochemistry, microbial natural products, and biomanufacturing. He earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Purdue University and completed his doctorate at the University of Illinois, where his research focused on the discovery and scalable production of microbial […]
Sam Poskonka
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2026
Major: Chemical Engineering
Raphael Ramos
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Chemical Engineering
Ben Quirke
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Agricultural & Consumer Economics
Yunzhen Rao
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2026
Major: Concentration - Food Science & Human Nutrition
Erin Reeve
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Chemical Engineering
Alex Rim
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Bioengineering
Amy Rogers
Amy Rogers joined IBRL in March of 2022 as the Business Development Coordinator. She is responsible for coordinating the accounting operations and business functions of IBRL. Amy has a Bachelor of Science in Business from Eastern Illinois University. She spent the first 14 years of her career with Design Ideas, an international home decor manufacturer, […]
Samarth Samal
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Chemical Engineering
Paula Pessin Sardela
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Marketing
Nathan Schumer
Title: Junior Pilot Plant Specialist
Email: schumer2@illinois.edu
Nathan joined IBRL in September 2024 as a member of the Down Stream Processing Team. He has a Bachelor’s in Materials Science and Engineering and a Master’s in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previously, Nathan worked as an Undergraduate Intern and then a Graduate Hourly employee at IBRL during […]
Jeremy Sechan
Title: Office Support Associate
Email: jsechan3@illinois.edu
Jeremy Sechan joined IBRL in October of 2024 as an Office Support Associate. They graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BA in English and a minor in Secondary-Education in 2021. He spent the past couple of years as a High School English Teacher at Champaign Centennial High School, and he is […]
Callista Sitanggang
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2027
Major: Concentration - Food Science & Human Nutrition
Kayla Tadugar
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Suneet Takhar
Suneet Takhar joined IBRL as a part-time lab manager in November 2019. She took up the full-time analytical lab specialist role in January 2022 which includes both technical and management aspects related to the lab. She has a Bachelor’s in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from University of Idaho and a Master’s in Food […]
Mark Tarabey
Title: Graduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2022
Major: Bioengineering
Surjith Udhayakumar
Title: Professional Science Master's Student
Year: Fall 2027
Major: Concentration - Bioprocessing & Bioenergy
Ian Vogt
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Economics
Jesse Wald
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Carissa Westphal
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2027
Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Xander Wettergren
Title: Undergraduate Student Intern
Year: Spring 2028
Major: Chemical Engineering