Bert Berla has served as Chief Science Officer since joining the Company in January 2022. In this position, Bert is responsible for establishing external research collaborations, providing technical expertise to the sales process, and overseeing quality control and testing of BacterioScan’s existing and new products. Bert works closely with the sales and engineering teams to develop and execute new product strategies.

Prior to joining BacterioScan, Bert served as a senior scientist with Tech Accel, LLC, where he developed and tested RNA-based products for biocontrol of crop pests. He also served as an adjunct professor of biotechnology at St. Louis Community College, where he taught students in the biotechnology program to use fermentation technologies.

Bert has been using plant and microbial sciences over the past 20 years to support a healthier, more sustainable future. He began as an undergraduate researcher studying the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels and other climate changes on crop plants at the University of Illinois, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry. Bert earned his Ph.D. in Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis studying photosynthetic bacteria engineered to produce liquid fuels that could replace diesel. As a postdoc at Washington University School of Medicine, Bert analyzed the impact of antibiotic use on the development of gut microbiomes in infants, sparking a lifelong interest in enabling better antibiotic stewardship.