Dr. Peter Beetham

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Peter has over 30 years of experience in the bio-agriculture community, with a passion for moving technology to commercial application.  He is currently the CEO of Cibus Global, LLC. As co-founder of Cibus, he has taken a lead role in developing the core gene editing technologies associated with the proprietary Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS™).  Prior to taking on the CEO position at Cibus in 2014, Peter led the research and product development teams since the inception of the company in 2001.

Peter has spent more than three decades in agricultural research, with direct experience in areas including plant biotechnology, precision gene-editing and the applications of novel breeding technologies. Early in his career he was also involved in the introduction of improved root crops to many countries in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

Peter was employed by the Victorian Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DARA) in Australia from 1985 to 1992. He served as a Scientific Officer based at the Plant Research Institute (PRI), working with research groups throughout Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. As part of the plant virology group at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), he worked on the molecular biology of banana bunch top virus (BBTV) and the development of transgenes for pathogen-derived resistance.  He continued his research as a postdoctoral scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, where he was one of the pioneers of the early work that led to the Cibus Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) technology.

Prior to joining Cibus, he was Research Director of the Plant and Industrial Products Division at ValiGen, formerly Kimeragen, Inc. At Cibus he has led the scientific and regulatory endeavours that have led to the launching of Cibus’ first products in USA. More recently (2014) he assumed the role of President and CEO of Cibus tasked with taking Cibus to the next level of growth as a growth stage commercial company leading the way for licensing of gene edited traits to leading global seed companies.

Peter received his Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Virology from QUT in Brisbane, Australia and is a BSc (Hons) graduate of Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Dr Beetham has authored many scientific publications including the pioneering publications for gene-editing starting in1999. He has also been a leading author on over 100 patents and patent applications.