Marja Koivunen, PhD. - VP of Research & Development.
Marja comes to
MBI from Davis, CA-based Antibodies, Inc., where she was Assay
Development Manager, developing immunoassays for pharma, clinical and
toxicological applications with an emphasis on utilizing nanoparticles
as fluorescent labels.Marja started her career in industry at Kemira,
a Finnish specialty chemical company with a biopesticide and fertilizer
business. She rose through the ranks from Scientist to Development
Manager, overseeing the development of specialty fertilizers for
horticultural crops. She left Kemira to pursue a PhD at UC Davis, where
she completed her degree in soil science, with an emphasis on soil
biochemistry and enzymes (Project: determination of the fate and
performance of a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer). She then worked as
a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Bruce Hammock’s lab, where she
developed and improved immunoassays for detection of pesticide residues
and pollutants. She was a Fulbright Scholar (Graduate studies in soil
microbiology) at Cornell University and she has a MS in soil science
from the University of Helsinki, Finland.