UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation names Dr. Andrew Bartko, a veteran research leader from Battelle Memorial Institute, as its new Executive Director
Bartko embarks on new role as founding executive director Dr. Sandrine Miller-Montgomery departs to lead Micronoma, a San Diego-based startup spawned out of the Center
The University of California San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) has named Dr. Andrew Bartko as its incoming Executive Director. Bartko was most recently a Research Leader at Battelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit global research, and development organization committed to science and technology for the greater good.
“We are excited Andrew has joined CMI to support our efforts to accelerate microbiome research,” said CMI Faculty Director Dr. Rob Knight. “He is passionate about our work and has a long track record of success in forging impactful academic and industry partnerships, making him an important asset to CMI as we continue our critical work to push the boundaries of human understanding of microbiomes.” In addition to his role at CMI, Knight is a UC San Diego professor of pediatrics, computer science, and bioengineering and Co-Director of the IBM-UCSD Artificial Intelligence Center for Healthy Living.
CMI exists to inspire, nurture, and sustain vibrant collaborations between UC San Diego Microbiome experts and industry partners. In his new role, Bartko will be responsible for leading a team focused on fostering and expanding industry and academic collaborations to accelerate microbiome discovery and create innovative technologies to advance the field and enable major clinical breakthroughs.
“It is a privilege and an honor to join this team of inspired microbiome researchers dedicated to improving human health and expanding disease prevention,” said Bartko. “I hope to leverage my experience building interdisciplinary collaborations and industrial partnerships to create impactful innovations that advance CMI’s mission.”
In addition, Bartko holds the title of Professor of Practice in the Department of Bioengineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
Bartko starts his new position this month and succeeds Dr. Sandrine Miller-Montgomery as Executive Director of CMI. Miller-Montgomery departs the Center after nearly four successful years to become the President and CEO of Micronoma, a San Diego-based startup born from research advancements made at CMI and UC San Diego. Micronoma, co-founded with Dr. Rob Knight and Gregory Poore, is initially focused on its liquid biopsy technology to detect and predict early cancer with clinical-grade accuracy.
“I am thrilled to lead Micronoma in its work to advance an accessible tool for cancer diagnostics through tumor-related Microbial biomarkers,” said Miller-Montgomery. “Our work is the epitome of what the CMI stands for – combining the expertise of a research university with the applied power of industry to foster innovation to improve human health and benefit the environment.”
Bartko has extensive business development, technical knowledge, and application development experience, and significant expertise in developing innovative technologies and building industrial research partnerships. He brings over seventeen years of progressive leadership experience in various roles at Battelle and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Bartko received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
About Center for Microbiome Innovation at University of California San Diego:
The UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation leverages the university’s strengths in clinical medicine, bioengineering, computer science, the biological and physical sciences, data sciences, and more to coordinate and accelerate microbiome research. We also develop methods for manipulating microbiomes for the benefit of human and environmental health. Learn more at cmi.ucsd.edu/ and follow @CMIDigest.
