Dr. David Thompson is principal investigator for a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with an industry partner to develop thermoacidophilic enzymes for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals. The project is industry-funded and is an outgrowth of Idaho National Laboratory’s discovery and development of Xtreme Xylanase, an extreme thermoacidophilic xylanase enzyme that was awarded a 2006 R&D 100 Award by R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most important technological innovations of 2005.

He is principal investigator for a CRADA with Washington State University, the University of California-Davis, Glatfelter Corp., Strandex Inc. and ECO:LOGIC Inc. to develop a system to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in wastewater treatment systems, utilizing pulp and paper mill effluents as the sole carbon source. He is also principal investigator for a U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program-funded project that is investigating the potential use of endoxylanase enzymes in agricultural biomass storage and queuing systems. The goal of the project is to assess potential benefits of limited degradation of the hemicellulose fraction during storage on the handling characteristics and costs and on downstream processing in a biorefinery.

He holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Michigan State University (1994). His dissertation was funded by the National Science Foundation Center for Microbial Ecology. His postdoctoral fellowship, 1995-1997, was administered by Associated Western Universities, developing bioremediation technologies for acid rock drainage, volatile organic contaminants, and selenium.

Biological transformations of renewable feedstocks for processing to value-added biofuels, biochemicals and bioproducts