MEET OUR TEAM
Jiarui Li
PRESIDENT & CEO
20 years experience in Agtech industry
- President of the North Carolina Business Association, where he supports local business growth and economic development.
- Mentor at IndieBio, guiding startups in the biotech and agtech sectors.
- Member of the NSBA Leadership Council, contributing to national business policy and advocacy.
- Business Advisor for Sustainable Agriculture Labs, fostering innovation in sustainable farming practices.
Contact at: jiarui.li@innatrix.com
John Salmeron, PhD
VP Platform
John Salmeron, Managing Director of S Research Partners LLC, helps emerging agtech companies develop R&D strategies and monetize assets. With 30 years of experience across multinational and startup firms, he specializes in strategic planning, project management, and business development.
He holds a Ph.D. in Botany and Genetics from Duke, completed a postdoc at UC Berkeley, and is an adjunct professor at UNC Chapel Hill. John also directs BioAg PRO, a USDA-funded plant sciences workforce initiative.
Contact: john.salmeron@innatrix.com
Ted Kahn, PhD
RESEARCH FELLOW
20 years experience in Agtech industry
Ted Kahn has 20+ years of experience in agricultural biotechnology, specializing in protein biochemistry for pest control. He has contributed to product development from discovery to advanced stages, led teams in pest control protein research, and helped develop a nematode-control trait now in late-stage development. Ted has also managed academic collaborations to enhance computational and lab screening methods.
He holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Cornell, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale, and completed postdoctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute. At Innatrix, he leads research on plant disease and nematode control.
Contact: ted.kahn@innatrix.com
Nick Macris, MESc,MBA
VP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Nick Macris has been a senior executive in 9 different early-stage biotech startups, and has strong passion to develop biocontrol products for crop protection. He is bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience of biological product development and business development.
In Innatrix, Nick is working with the Innatrix team to explore the cost of goods for the biological products, build a strong pipeline and business case.
Contact at: nick.macris@innatrix.com
Alexandra Margets
SCIENTIST
Alexandra recently finished her PhD in the lab of Dr. Roger Innes at Indiana University, Bloomington where she characterized novel soybean cyst nematode (SCN) proteases secreted during infection. Her research motivation stems from her passion to develop disease resistance strategies that will enable a more sustainable agricultural system. She is bringing her expertise in plant molecular biology and experience with SCN to the Innatrix team.
In Innatrix, Alexandra has started working with the Innatrix team to improve the delivery of biological products to address SCN and grape downy mildew.
Welcome to the Innatrix team, and we look forward to working with you to develop sustainable and safe crop protection products!
Contact at: alexandra.margets@innatrix.com
Sohaila Dar, MS
SENIOR SCIENTIST
20 years experience in Agtech industry
Suresh Desai, PhD
PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST
Suresh Desai leads RNAi-derived bionematicide development at Innatrix. He holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Manitoba, Canada.
A highly accomplished scientist, Suresh has 9 publications, 4 issued patents (7+ pending), and is the inventor of the first dsRNA-based foliar biopesticide for Colorado potato beetle. He has secured $471K in lab grants and delivered 50+ conference presentations. With 8+ years of managerial experience overseeing 20+ researchers and 70+ students, he excels in project management and cross-industry collaborations.
Contact: suresh.desai@innatrix.com
Salma Osman
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
Salma Osman, a Research and Development Associate at Innatrix, specializes in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from NC State University.
At Innatrix, she supports R&D projects, develops biological product leads, and manages lab activities. Her experience includes genetic engineering and cell culture research at Duke’s PRIME-Cancer Program and genomic sequencing at NC State. Passionate about innovation, she contributes to advancing biopesticides for sustainable agriculture.
Contact: sosman@innatrix.com
Janice Paletta, Ph.D
FORMULATION SCIENTIST
Janice received a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, where she studied the acetylation of alginate in P. aeruginosa. After her post-doctoral work Janice transitioned to formulation chemistry Research & Development in the agriculture industry, developing a range of nutrient and pesticidal formulations for both the US and global markets.
In Innatrix, Janice has started working with the Innatrix team to develop formulations for peptide and RNA leads, to make sure they are stable and efficacious when applied on critical crop pathogens and pests.
Contact:Janice.paletta@innatrix.com
Lei Lou, Ph.D
SENIOR SCIENTIST
Lei received a Ph.D. in Computational Biology from the The University of Georgia, where he conducted groundbreaking research at the intersection of protein stability and affinity. By appling cutting-edge protein dynamic simulations and pioneering drug delivery techniques, Lei delved into critical scientific inquiries and offered innovative solutions. With a commitment to pushing the boundaries of computational biology, Lei is dedicated to advancing the frontier of eco-friendly biological products.
In Innatrix, Lei has started working with Innatrix team, to build our proprietary peptide platform to identify and optimize peptide leads for crop protection.
Contact: lei.lou@innatrix.com
Strategic Advisors
Pam Marrone, PhD
SENIOR ADVISOR
Founded Entotech, Inc., AgraQuest Inc., Marrone Bio Innovations, all successfully exited
Paul Hamilton, PhD
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
20 years of experience in Biotech companies, experts at phage display
Dr. Hamilton has over 20 years of industrial experience in biotechnology companies of various sizes, with extensive expertise in research & development of diagnostics, therapeutics and medical devices. In terms of field of study, Dr. Hamilton is experienced in the development of bacteriophage-based tools for biotechnology research, especially with building and screening phage-displayed peptide libraries and developing peptide-based products. Dr. Hamilton will provide guidance on Innatrix’s peptide platform optimization, and peptide product development.
Shu Li, PhD
ADVISOR
CEO & co-founder of Petri Bio, co-founded Alpine Roads, a YC-backed startup
Dr. Shu Li is CEO and Co-founder of Petri Bio, an LA-based biotech startup developing therapies and healthcare products using gut microbes. Previously she co-founded Alpine Roads, a YC-backed startup using genetically modified plants to produce animal proteins. She has a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Penn State University. Over her academic and entrepreneurial career, she has generated seven peer-reviewed scientific publications and three patents, and has served as a reviewer for four scientific journals. In her spare time, she is serving as Vice President of the National Graduate Women In Science (GWIS), advocating for under-represented scientists, entrepreneurs, and leaders in STEM.
- President of the North Carolina Business Association, where he supports local business growth and economic development.
- Mentor at IndieBio, guiding startups in the biotech and agtech sectors.
- Member of the NSBA Leadership Council, contributing to national business policy and advocacy.
- Business Advisor for Sustainable Agriculture Labs, fostering innovation in sustainable farming practices.
Get in touch: shu@petribio.com
