Stephen Mayfield is the founder and CEO of Algenesis Materials, a company on a mission to reduce plastic pollution on the planet. Steve was previously a Distinguished Professor of Biology and the Director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology, at the University of California, San Diego. His research career focuses on the molecular genetics of green algae, and on the production of bio-products, especially bio-based and biodegradable polymers. Steve received BS degrees in Biochemistry and Plant Biology from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from UC Berkeley. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Geneva Switzerland he returned to California as an assistant professor at the Scripps Research Institute where he remained for 22 years becoming the Dean of Biology before joining UC San Diego in 2009. In addition to running his research group and university research centers, Steve also founded Rincon Pharmaceutical in 2005, Sapphire Energy in 2007, Triton Health and Nutrition in 2013, and Algenesis Materials in 2016.