Summit Videos

Microbiome Water Summit Opening Remarks (7 minutes) by John Tillotson

John Tillotson is the CEO of Microbe Detectives. He is a seasoned biotechnology executive, with a passion for innovation, clean water and environmental sustainability. Mr. Tillotson brings a unique background in both water and data technologies, and is a serial entrepreneur focused on identifying disruptive innovations and bringing them to mainstream markets.

Professor Gilbert is the Director of the Microbiome Center and Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago, Group Leader for Microbial Ecology at Argonne National Laboratory, Research Associate at the Field Museum of Natural History, Scientific Fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Yeoh Ghim Seng Visiting Professorship in Surgery at the National University of Singapore. Author of “Dirt is Good”

Dr. Van Bonn is Vice President of Animal Health at Shedd Aquarium, and senior leader of the Shedd Microbiome Project. Dr. Van Bonn has adjunct assistant clinical professor status at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, as well as an adjunct faculty appointment at Michigan State University, a position that provides him access to the High Performance Computing Center, which will aid Shedd Aquarium’s analysis of microbiome data.

Ms. Linda Robertson is President of International Microbial Associates and has worked in R&D and industrial applications for over 35 years. In her 14 years with Weyerhaeuser, she conducted research in numerous aspects of microbiology related to the forest products and paper industry as well as a variety of new market development projects that ranged from baby wipes to wood decay.

Dr. Trevor Ghylin is Co-Founder and CTO of Microbe Detectives a pioneer in applying DNA sequencing and metagenomic solutions to improve water quality, plant performance and resource recovery solutions. He is a professional water process engineer and holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from The University of Wisconsin, Madison.