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Joseph M. (Mike) Cleary

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Mike Cleary is the Director of the National Bioenergy Center (NBC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. He joined NREL in October 2007 and is responsible for NREL's research programs in bioenergy, with specific emphasis on biofuels conversion technologies. Dr. Cleary has more than 28 years of experience in research and management in the fields of life sciences and industrial biotechnology, including extensive industrial experience, from lab to pilot scale and in commercialization of products employing microbial biochemistry, fermentation, and microbiology.

Dr. Cleary is responsible for managing and setting the strategic research direction for the NBC, which employs more than 130 full time research and support staff, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate interns. This includes oversight of the human and facilities resources dedicated to the DOE Office of the Biomass Program core research program, environmental safety and health programs and policies, and coordination of technical partnership agreements with industry.

Research Interests

  • Biochemical and thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels
  • Fermentation scale up
  • Microbial strain metabolic engineering
  • Molecular genetics
  • Microbial physiology
  • Applied bioinformatics

Education

NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, California, 1981–1982
Ph.D., Biology (Molecular Genetics), University of California, Los Angeles, California, 1980
B.A., Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 1970

Professional Experience

  • Associate Director, Science R&D Division, San Diego Supercomputer Center, UCSD, 2005–2007
  • Project Coordinator, Science R&D Division, San Diego Supercomputer Center, UCSD, 2003–2005
  • Department Head, Fermentation Sciences, CP Kelco, 2001–2003
  • Research Consultant, Microbial Genomics, Monsanto - Nutrition and Consumer Products Sector, 2000
  • Group Leader, Molecular Genetics, Monsanto (Kelco Biopolymers), 1997–1999
  • Acting Director, Fermentation Sciences, Monsanto (Kelco Biopolymers), 1996–1997
  • Principal Scientist, Fermentation Sciences, Monsanto (Kelco Biopolymers), 1995–1996
  • Manager, Fermentation, Kelco Division of Merck & Co., Inc., 1991–1995
  • Manager, Genetics & Physiology, Kelco Division of Merck & Co., Inc., 1989–1990
  • Research Fellow, Kelco Division of Merck & Co., Inc., 1987–1989
  • Senior Research Microbiologist, Kelco Division of Merck & Co., Inc., 1982–1987

Primary Research Publications

Zhong, L.; Matthews, J. F.; Crowley, M. F.; Rignall, T.; Talón, C.; Cleary, J. M.; Walker, R. C.; Chukkapalli, G.; McCabe, C.; Nimlos, M. R.; Brooks III, C. L.; Himmel, M. E.; Brady, J. W. (2008). "Interactions of the Complete Cellobiohydrolase I from Trichoderma reesei with Microcrystalline Cellulose Iβ." Cellulose (15); pp. 261-273. doi: 10.1007/s10570-007-9186-0.

Nimlos, M. R.; Matthews, J. F.; Crowley, M. F.; Walker, R. C.; Chukkapalli, G.; Brady, J. W.; Adney, W. S.; Cleary, J. M.; Zhong, L.; Himmel, M. E. (2007). "Molecular Modeling Suggests Induced Fit of Family I Carbohydrate Binding Modules with a Broken Chain Cellulose Surface." Protein Engineering, Design and Selection (20); pp. 179-187.

Vartak, N. B.; Lin, C. C.; Cleary, J. M.; Fagan, M. J.; Saier, Jr., M. H. (1995). "Glucose Metabolism in Sphingomonas elodea: Pathway Engineering via Construction of a Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Insertion Mutant." Microbiology (141); pp. 2339-2350.

Harding, N. E.; Cleary, J. M.; Ielpi, L. (1995). "Genetics and Biochemistry of Xanthan Gum Production by Xanthomonas campestris." Hui, Y. H.; Khachatourians, G. C., ed. Food Biotechnology: Microorganisms, New York: VCH Publishers, Inc.; pp. 495-514.

Harding, N. E.; Raffo, S.; Raimondi, A.; Cleary, J. M.; Ielpi, L. (1993). "Identification, Genetic and Biochemical Analysis of Genes Involved in Synthesis of Sugar Nucleotide Precursors of Xanthan Gum." Journal of General Microbiology (139); pp. 447-457.

Marzocca, M. P.; Harding, N. E.; Petroni, E. A.; Cleary, J. M.; Ielpi, L. (1991). "Location and Cloning of the Ketal Pyruvate Transferase Gene of Xanthomonas campestris." Journal of Bacteriology (173); pp. 7519-7524.

Harding, N. E.; Cleary, J. M.; Cabanas, D. K.; Rosen, I. G.; Kang, K. S. (1987). "Genetic and Physical Analysis of a Cluster of Genes Essential for Xanthan Gum Biosynthesis in Xanthomonas campestris." Journal of Bacteriology (169); pp. 2854-2861.

Zyskind, J. W.; Cleary, J. M.; Brusilow, W. S.; Harding, N. E.; Smith, D. W. (1983). "Chromosomal Replication Origin from the Marine Bacterium Vibrio harveyi Functions in Escherichia coli: oriC Consensus Sequence." Proceedings of the National Academies of the Sciences of the United States of America (80); pp. 1164-1168.

Harding, N. E.; Cleary, J. M.; Smith, D. W.; Michon, J. W.; Brusilow, W. S.; Zyskind, J. W. (1982). "Chromosomal Deoxyribonucleic Acid Replication Origins (OriC) of Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae are Functional in Escherichia coli." Journal of Bacteriology (152); pp. 983-993.

Cleary, J. M.; Smith, D. W.; Harding, N. E.; Zyskind, J. W. (1982). "Primary Structure of the Chromosomal Origins (oriC) of Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae: Comparisons and Evolutionary Relationships." Journal of Bacteriology (150); pp. 1467-1471.

Zyskind, J. W.; Harding, N. E.; Takeda, Y.; Cleary, J. M.; Smith, D. W. (1981). "The Replication Origin of the Enterobacteriaceae." ICN-UCLA Symposia on Molecular & Cellular Biology (22); pp. 13-25.

Ray, D. S.; Cleary, J. M.; Hines, J. D.; Kim, H. M.; Strathearn, M.; Nomura, N.; Kaguni, J. M.; Kaguni, L. S.; Roarck, M. (1981). "DNA Initiation Determinants of Bacteriophage M13 and of Chimeric Derivatives Carrying Foreign Replication Determinants." Ray, D. S., ed. The Initiation of DNA Replication, New York: Academic Press; pp. 169-193.

Cleary, J. M.; Ray, D. S. (1981). "Deletion Analysis of the Cloned Replication Origin Region from Bacteriophage M13." Journal of Virology (40); pp. 197-203.

Cleary, J. M.; Ray, D. S. (1980). "Replication of the Plasmid pBR322 under the Control of a Cloned Replication Origin from the Single Stranded DNA Phage M13." Proceedings of the National Academies of the Sciences of the United States of America (77); pp. 4638-4642.

Patents

Cleary, J. M.; Harding, N. E.; Coleman, R.; Patel, Y. (2006). "Genetically Purified Gellan Gum." U.S. Patent No. 7,361,754.

Baird, J. K.; Cleary, J. M. (1994). "PHB Free Gellan Gum Broth." U.S. Patent No. 5,300,429.

Rosen, I. G.; Harding, N. E.; Cleary, J. M.; Cabanas D. K. (1991). "Recombinant Plasmid For Xanthan Gum Synthesis." Canada Patent CA 1286239.

Contact Information

Joseph M. Cleary, Ph.D.
Director, National Bioenergy Center
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
15013 Denver West Parkway
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: 303-384-6825
Fax: 303-384-6103
Email: mike.cleary@nrel.gov