Brian H Davison

Brian Davison

Chief Scientist for Systems Biology and Biotechnology

Brian H. Davison is a Corporate Fellow and Chief Scientist for Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 91暗网. He is the Chief Science Officer for the Center For Bioenergy Innovation ( from 2017-present. He was the Science Coordinator in the DOE Bioenergy Science Center from 2007 to 2017. He is the PI for the ongoing DOE-BER project on 鈥淰isualization of Solvent Disruption of Biomass and Biomembrane Structures in the Production of Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts鈥� (). He is an Adjunct Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He was Director of Life Sciences Division at ORNL (2004-2005). In his thirty-eight years at ORNL, he performed biotechnology research including bioconversion of renewable resources (ethanol, organic acids, solvents), non-aqueous biocatalysis, extractive fermentations, biomass conversion and characterization, catalytic upgrading of ethanol into fuels and economic analyses of the same. He has 188+ publications and 17 patents. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering, from the University of Rochester.
He led a multilab team which received an R&D100 Award in 1997 for 鈥淧roduction of Chemicals from Biologically Derived Succinic Acid,鈥� a process ultimately licensed by BioAmber. He helped invent and develop an ethanol upgrading technology to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels which was licensed by Vertimass, LLC (vertimass.com). He received the ORNL Technology Transfer award (2018) for these and other efforts. He was the ORNL Science Communicator of 2010 for efforts in bioenergy and education. He co-chaired the 15th to 26th Symposia on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. He co-founded the "Commercializing Industrial Biotechnology" meeting in 2015 (). He was organizer or participant in over 15 USDOE workshops and roadmap reports, including co-organizing the significant "Breaking the Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol" Workshop in 2005 [DOE/SC-0095]. He received the 2006 C.D. Scott award by the Society of Industrial Microbiology. He is a Fellow of AIChE, SIMB, and AIMBE.

He was on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE), 2020-2022. He is on the Board of the AIChE Society for Biological Engineering. He co-founded the ORNL LGBTQ+ group now called PRISM at ORNL in 1995 and serves as spokesperson and co-chair to promote nondiscrimination and benefit policy changes. /news/biosciences-chief-scientist-corporate-fellow-reflects-trailblazing-lgbtqia-presence-ornl. He is the co-chair of the ORNL Educational Research Committee since formed in 2021 as the latest aspect of his commitment to mentoring.

He is chair of the ORNL Institutional Biosafety Committee since 2002.

Battelle Distinguished Inventor, 2023

USDOE Secretary of Energy鈥檚 Honor Achievement Award for 鈥淒OE National Laboratories鈥� COVID-19 Clinical Testing Teams,鈥� 2020.

UT-Battelle Individual Achievement in Technology Transfer, ORNL, 2018.

Fellow, Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), 2017.

Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), 2016.

USDOE Secretary of Energy鈥檚 Honor Achievement Award for 鈥淭he WIPP Technical Assessment Team (TAT) and Accident Investigation Board (AIB),鈥� 2015.

UT-Battelle Science Communicator of the Year, ORNL, 2010.

Charles D Scott Award for distinguished contributions to the field of biotechnology for fuels and chemicals, Society for Industrial Microbiology, Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, 2006.

College of Fellows, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), 2006.

R&D100 Award for 鈥淧roduction of Chemicals from Biologically Derived Succinic Acid,鈥� Research & Development Magazine, 1997. This technology was licensed for commercialization by BioAmber.          

Management Achievement Award, Life Sciences Division, ORNL, 2002.

Significant Event Award for 鈥淓xpression of Lignin Peroxidase in Yeast,鈥� ORNL, 2000.

Significant Event Award for 鈥淒ry Enzyme Catalysis,鈥� ORNL, 2000.

Technology Maturation Award for Succinic Acid Process, ORNL, 1999.

Technical Achievement Award for 鈥淚nnovative Research Leading to the Development of the Biparticle Fluidized-Bed Bioreactor,鈥� Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., 1992.

Distinguished Writing Award for Scholarly Articles (First place) by the Society for Technical Communication - East Tennessee, 1991.

Significant Event Award for 鈥淗igh Productivity, Ethanol Fermentation,鈥� Martin Marietta Energy Systems, 1987.

Outstanding Graduating Engineer, University of Rochester, 1979.

Wilson Scholar, University of Rochester, 1975鈥�1979.

AIChE Outstanding Junior Chemical Engineer, University of Rochester, 1978.

National Merit Scholarship, 1975.

Ph.D.     Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 1985. Thesis topic: 鈥淒ynamics and Coexistence of Mixed Microbial Cultures.鈥�  Stable coexistence of competing microorganisms (E. coli and S. cerevisiae) in chemostats. Thesis Advisor:  Dr. Gregory N. Stephanopoulos

B.S.E.    Chemical Engineering, with honors, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 1979.

American Institute of Chemical Engineers:  Board of Directors (2020-2022), Fellow, chair for sessions;

      Trustee for AIChE foundation (2023-2026).

Society for Biological Engineering: Managing Board of Directors - AIChE (2012鈥搊n).

American Chemical Society (chaired symposia and sessions and served on several BIOT committees). 

Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Chair, Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals and editor of the Proceedings in Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol, (1994鈥�2005).  Organizing Committee (2006鈥�2012).  The Symposium grew from 150 to 400 attendees during my twelve years as chair.

Founding co-chair. Commercializing Industrial Biotechnology Workshop (2012-2014); organizing committee 2015-present.

Editorial Boards: Biotechnol for Biofuels (2018-present); J Industrial Biotechnology (2011鈥扬谤别蝉别苍迟).

Advisory boards:  NSERC Bioconversion Network for Guelph and Univ. British Columbia (2009鈥�2015).

      BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC), United Kingdom (2010鈥�2015).

      C3 Bio EFRC, Purdue University (2012鈥�2016).

      Southeast Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resources Alliance (2007鈥�2010).

Co-Organizer for the USDOE 鈥淏iomass to Biofuels鈥� Workshop, December 2005.  鈥淏reaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol,鈥� DOE/SC-0095. 

Participant in 鈥淢icrobial Production of Energy鈥� Colloquium, March 10鈥�12, 2006, San Francisco, California.  Report by American Academy of Microbiology.

AIChE, ACS, SIMB, AIMBE

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, 鈥淶eolitic catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbons,鈥� United States Patent 11,773,333 B2. Continuation of #9,938,467. awarded October 3, 2023.

Li, Z., B.H. Davison, J. Zhang, 鈥淒irect Catalytic Conversion Of Alcohols To Olefins Of Higher Carbon Number With Reduced Ethylene Production,鈥� U.S. Patent  11,691,129_B2; awarded July 4 2023.

Narula, C. K., B.H. Davison, Z. Li, 鈥淶eolitic catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbon fractions with reduced gaseous hydrocarbon content,鈥� United States Patent 10,696,606   awarded June 30, 2020

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, 鈥淐atalytic conversion of alcohols having at least three carbon atoms to hydrocarbon blendstock,鈥� United States Patent 9,944,861 awarded April 17, 2018

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, 鈥淶eolitic catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbons,鈥�
United States Patent 9,938,467. awarded April 10, 2018

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, 鈥淶eolitic Catalytic Conversion of Alcohols to Hydrocarbons,鈥� U.S. Patent 9,533,921-B2, issued date January 3, 2017.

C. K. Narula, B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, 鈥淐atalytic conversion of Alcohols to hydrocarbons with Low benzene content,鈥� (part 2). PCT/US 201202942.0, U. S. Patent 9,434,658 (September 6, 2016).

C. K. Narula, B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, 鈥淐atalytic conversion of Alcohols to hydrocarbons with Low benzene content,鈥� PCT/US 20140322781, (10/30/2014 published) U. S. Patent 9,278,892 (March 8, 2016).

C. K. Narula, B. H. Davison, 鈥淐atalytic conversion of alcohols having at least three carbon atoms to hydrocarbon blendstock,鈥� 20150011813 (1/8/2015, published); USPTO#9,181,493 (issued 11/10/2015).

Passian, A., L. Tetard, T.G. Thundat, B.H. Davison, M. Keller, 鈥淪canning Probe Microscopy with Spectroscopic Molecular Recognition,鈥� U.S. Patent Application 2011/0231966-A1, date: Sept. 22, 2011. 

Scott, C.D., Scott, T.C., and Davison, B.H., "Apparatus and Method for the Production of Gel Beads Containing a Biocatalyst", U.S. Patent No. 5,712,212, January 27, 1998. Combined with U.S. Patent No. 5,72588A, March 8, 1998.

Scott, T.C., Scott, C.D., Faison, B.D., Davison, B.H., and Woodward, J., 鈥淓nhanced Attrition Bioreactor for Enzyme Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Materials,鈥� (CIP) U.S. Pat. 5,637,502, June 10, 1997.

Scott, C.D., Petersen, J.N., and Davison, B.H., 鈥淐ontinuous Fluidized-Bed Contactor with Recycle of Sorbent,鈥� U.S. Patent 5,534,153, July 9, 1996.

Scott, T.C., Scott, C.D., Faison, B.D., Davison, B.H., and Woodward, J., 鈥淓nhanced Attrition Bioreactor for Enzyme Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Materials,鈥� U. S. Patent 5,508,183, April 16, 1996.

Scott, C.D., Faison, B.D., Davison, B.H., and Woodward, J., 鈥淧rocess for Converting Cellulosic Materials into Fuels and Chemicals,鈥� U. S. Patent 5,345,871, September 20, 1994.

Scott C.D., and Davison, B.H., 鈥淎ttrition Bioreactor System,鈥� U. S. Patent 5,248,484, September 28, 1993.

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