Tim Geistlinger Perfect Day
As Chief Technology Officer at Perfect Day — a disruptive dairy startup developing technology to produce milk from fermentation, not cows — Tim Geistlinger is driven by a passion to create scientific solutions that tackle major problems. Tim leads all scientific research and development efforts for the Bay Area company where his work is focused on creating earth-friendly, high-quality, functional proteins that deliver a truly satisfying full-dairy experience, without the environmental and welfare issues inherent to factory farming.
Tim brings over 15 years of experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development to Perfect Day, along with a track record of innovative breakthroughs across various medical, industrial, and academic arenas. Tim’s scientific career includes positions at Shaman Pharmaceuticals, MIGROS AG, Stanford University, Genentech, UCSF, Tokyo University, Harvard Medical School, The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Amyris Biotechnologies, and Beyond Meat.
The results of Tim’s work can be measured by their impact. In the early-mid 1990s, Tim engineered antibodies, which formed the foundation for the first examples of targeted cancer therapeutics and a treatment for HER2+ Breast Cancer; leading the way to a targeted treat for 40% of breast cancer patients today. At UCSF and Harvard, he developed methods to map the genetic regulatory problems associated with ER+/PR+ Breast Cancer therapeutic targets, which are now being developed in the hands of larger institutions like Novartis. Tim worked with a team to develop Amyris’ platform, which relied on sugar cane for large scale fabrication of Artemisinin, to create renewable jet fuel, and to develop diesel fuel. Most recently, Tim led R&D at Beyond Meat where he built a team of scientists to create meat products — chicken, ground beef, and hamburgers — from plants, using simple ingredients his grandmother would have in her pantry. Most recently, Tim built the team, the idea, and developed the Beyond Burger in under 18 months. It was the first animal-free meat product to cook, feel, and taste like meat; and it paved the way for major investment in the plant-based company from the Meat Giant, Tyson Foods. It is currently being served in restaurants, fast food joints, and sold behind the meat counter at Whole Foods Market.
Tim earned a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from the University of California, San Francisco. During his free time, you can find him playing guitar with his two children or biking the coastal roads of California.