Innovation Seminar Series

Please join us on Tuesday, November 1 at 9:00 am in FABE 200 (Wooster) with a video link to Ag Eng 219 (Columbus) for a seminar featuring Dr. Paul Zorner, agbioscientist, international businessman, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist.  Dr. Zorner’s presentation will be geared towards young scientists – graduate students, post-docs, research scientists and staff.  Refreshments will be served in Wooster.

Paul Zorner is President of Locus Agricultural Solutions, a Solon-based company.  The company is doing work with OARDC faculty.  Dr. Zorner is a scientist, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist.  Paul has served as a Finistere Venture Partner since the fund's inception. He is also a Director or Senior Advisor for several private companies operating to increase agricultural diversity and productivity, improve the nutritional content of food – and through more productive agricultural systems to increase the economic stability of rural agricultural communities. He has done substantial work in human and animal health, synthetic biology and the production of high-value chemistry from sustainable resources.

He has held scientific, development, operations and senior administrative positions with start-up and Fortune 500 companies. He has extensive international experience and has been a founder of several agricultural and renewable energy based companies, including Sensorygen and Diversa.

Dr. Zorner has been Adjunct Professor of Horticulture and member of the Graduate Faculty at North Carolina State University for over 25 years, is a Fellow of the Weed Science Society of America and a member of the Environmental Entrepreneurs/NRDC where he advocates for clean technology/business policy development. He is an inventor on over 35 issued US patents. He was named in 2006 as a Queensland Champion by the Queensland, Australia Government (the first American citizen to be so honored). Paul has a career interest in K-12 education and community service initiatives. He serves on the Board of Directors and as President of The KISS Institute for Practical Robotics.