5Metis News

5Metis Is Expanding!

5Metis, Inc. is happy to announce the newest addition to our research team.  Steven (Stevie) Williams has joined our chemistry group as a Research Associate and will be working closely with our Senior Formulation and Analytical Chemists in their efforts to support biology testing of our new crop protection molecules.

Stevie received his MS in Chemistry from UNC Wilmington after obtaining BS degrees in Chemistry from Winston Salem State University and Exercise Science at Brevard College.  He has most recently been working as a Quality Control Chemist for Alberdingk Boley in Greensboro, NC.

We are excited to have Stevie join our full-time research team in Research Triangle Park, NC.

5Metis Prepares for Collaborations in Africa

5Metis prepares for collaborations in Africa for grant funded work.

5Metis Is Hiring!

5Metis, a pure play agrichemical company working at the cooperative interface of chemistry and biology, is seeking an experienced people-leader chemist with an excellent background in discovery/medicinal chemistry to manage and oversee the 5Metis formulation and analytical chemistry labs and personnel. This includes setting priorities for the labs, employee management, hiring, career development, and oversight of laboratory budgets for equipment, contracts, general lab requirements, and travel. In addition, the successful candidate will support outsourced discovery chemistry efforts, as well as growing the cohesive partnership between chemistry and biology. This position reports directly to the Senior Director of Chemistry.

5Metis Is Expanding!

5Metis Inc. is pleased to announce that three new employees have joined our team as we continue to build our platform for delivering resistance-breaking new modes of action molecules to the agrichemical industry.

Our new teammates are:

• Yuba Kandel (Research Scientist, Plant Pathology), who earned his Ph.D. from South Dakota State University, joined 5Metis from Iowa State University, where he spent more than 10 years conducting research on plant diseases. Yuba has designed and implemented fungicide efficacy trials from the lab to the greenhouse to the field.

• Ola Noras (Research Associate, Chemistry) came to 5Metis after completing her Fulbright Fellowship in Poland. Prior to that, Ola had earned a M.S. from The University of Tennessee and worked at Greenlight Biosciences on the fungal research team.

• Xunhai Zheng (Senior Analytical Chemist) joins 5Metis from BASF with additional experience at Bayer and the NIH. Trained as an organic chemist, Xunhai is also an experienced bioanalytical chemist, with experience developing assays to monitor fate of compounds in and on leaf tissues. He also has considerable experience with NMR.

Steve Tuttle, President and CEO, said, “Our experienced R&D team is making significant progress converting the unique properties of boron into much needed and valuable crop protection compounds, and we are excited to have Yuba, Ola, and Xunhai bring their skills to our team efforts.”

Research Triangle Park, NC

5Metis, Inc., a recently formed pure-play discovery company specializing in crop health, is expanding its research in the area of crop protection with the intention of supporting smallholder farming communities in the developing world. These communities, often underserved by commercial agriculture, are disproportionately affected by damaging pathogens and unfavorable climate conditions that negatively impact crop production outcomes, often leading to significant crop loss. Through its research, 5Metis aims to tackle crop loss by improving pathogen-control methodologies for greater plant health and more profitable production outcomes. 

Founded in 2021, 5Metis raised $10 million from private investors in a Series A Preferred Stock financing round lead by Ospraie Ag Science. “Our company is strategically focused on improving crop protection solutions by offering new modes of action that leverage molecular evolution and innovative science,” said Steven Tuttle, President and CEO of 5Metis. “Directing a portion of our research toward a particular geography allows us to not only investigate pathogens that have an adverse impact on a specific population but also to provide much needed support to smallholder farmers historically underserved by the crop protection industry.” 

5Metis’s approach to research unites proprietary technology with scientific chemistry to deliver naturally-derived solutions that can ultimately provide effective control against harmful pathogens. Now, thanks to a multi-year grant awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 5Metis can elevate research initiatives by expanding its team as well as its laboratory and greenhouse footprint in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The award from the foundation will augment 5Metis’s goal to develop effective, low-cost novel fungicides with low toxicity and a broad antifungal spectrum.

“Expanding our research program will expedite discoveries in new modes of action to provide control in a safe and sustainable manner,” said Brian Green, Chief Scientific Officer for 5Metis. “The need fueling this research is great. When left uncontrolled, the pathogens we are targeting can devastate those depending on crop production for economic security.”

5Metis Is Expanding!

5Metis, Inc. is pleased to announce that three new employees have joined our team as we work to deliver novel solutions to the global agricultural chemistry industry. In addition, we have an active job posting for a Research Associate in Chemistry (click here for more information) and expect to have more job postings going live in the coming months.

Our new teammates are:

• Shengyou Long is our new Lead Formulation Chemist. Shengyou comes to us with a great amount of experience in agricultural formulations and was formerly a formulation chemist for Adama. He also brings process chemistry experience to the team.

• Katie Clements has joined us as a Research Associate – Biology. Katie completed her MS from UNC Wilmington in the microbial sciences and then gained significant experience working as a Research Assistant for the university.

• Cody Averette, who comes to us with experience from the Bayer CropScience and Syngenta greenhouses, is our new Greenhouse Technician.

Steve Tuttle, President and CEO, said, “We are excited to have such high quality individuals coming on board to help us convert the unique properties of boron into much needed and valuable crop protection compounds.”

3 New Companies Spring to Life from Boron Research at RTP-Based Boragen

Boron’s value as a plant nutrient is well documented, but it has other properties that make it attractive for crop protection.

New RTP Startup Raises $10M with Eye on Crop Protection

A Triangle-based startup has raised $10 million as it develops a new way for agriculture producers to protect their crops.

Crop Science Company 5Metis Announced as Fifth 2021 F3 Tech Accelerator Participant

F3 Tech, an agriculture innovation accelerator program for early-stage companies supported by the nonprofit Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, today announced 5Metis as the fifth company in this year’s program. 5Metis is a new pure-play discovery company for crop health.

5Metis Raises $10M for R&D of Novel Crop Protection and Plant Health Technologies

5Metis, a newly formed company, has raised $10 million from eight investors in an oversubscribed Series A Preferred Stock financing round, company president CEO Steve Tuttle said in an exclusive interview with WRAL TechWire.