The story of Pairwise

I got into gene editing because I wanted to work on something with a direct impact on the people growing food and the people buying it. The science is interesting on its own, but I want to see it make a difference outside the lab. I came to Pairwise because that's exactly the kind of impact its products are designed to have.

At Pairwise, I lead the team that builds our next generation of gene editing tools, combining molecular biology, protein engineering, and automation to make our editing systems faster, more precise, and more scalable. Every improvement to the toolkit shows up downstream, from trait discovery through commercial products. The best part of the job is working with a team that sees a technical bottleneck and wants to solve it rather than work around it.

I've always been drawn to science because it provides the opportunity for discovery! That's what pulled me toward gene editing in the first place, and it's what keeps me curious every day since.

Now, as Stone Fruit Program Lead, I get to apply that same curiosity across our entire cherry program. From the earliest ideas about what it takes to make the changes consumers desire, through testing the plant in the field, to eventually bringing it to market.

What I love most about this work is the range it demands: one day I'm deep in strategy, the next I'm thinking about the eating experience of our product or what a grower actually needs from this fruit. Pairwise gives me the chance to shape a product's entire journey, not just one piece of it.

I spend my time where the science meets the ground and our customers: with growers across Latin America and the United States who help shape what a successful plant variety looks like.

My role is to make sure our berry programs are built with growers and consumers in mind from the start, so what we bring to market fits what they actually need. That means understanding not just the plant, but the people who grow it, the markets it moves through, and what it takes to deliver at scale.

At Pairwise, I'm the bridge between our breeding programs and the growers and commercial partners who bring them to life. That connection is everything.

Harry Overly currently serves as President of Treehouse Foods.  He is the former Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Flagstone Foods as well as Board Member of Sun-Maid Growers. Harry is best known throughout his 25-year career as a visionary, leading new product innovation for the category-leading food brands for which he has worked, with significant executive-level experience in marketing, sales, and strategy.

He holds a BS in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Michelle Gloeckler has formidable experience from both retail and CPG sectors. Her 10+ years at retail included executive leadership at Walmart serving most recently as EVP Consumables, Health & Wellness and US Manufacturing Lead. During her 21 years at The Hershey Company, she held a variety of sales and customer marketing leadership roles, including Vice President, Strategic Customers and Vice President, Customer Marketing. Gloeckler also serves on the boards of companies such as The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc., Holley Inc., and BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Psychology from the University of Michigan and currently serves as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council.

She was also named 38 on Fortune Most Powerful Women list.

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Reza Rasoulpour is the Vice President of Global Regulatory and Stewardship and R&D Sustainability at Corteva Agriscience, which he joined in 2007. He is dedicated to driving innovation and ensuring product safety, focusing on sustainable solutions for global agriculture. Reza is an internationally recognized expert in human safety serving on numerous external committees including two boards of the National Academy of Sciences.

Reza holds a Ph.D. in Pathobiology from Brown University and a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Connecticut.

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Derek Norman is Vice President, Venture Investments, for Leaps by Bayer, with a focus on agriculture and food. Derek has been investing in agriculture for over a decade, and has served on the boards of companies in areas spanning synthetic biology, biologicals, chemistry, new crops, and digital farming technologies.  He has been the founding investor for several companies.  Derek is passionate about translating frontier areas of biology and technology into products that can be scaled with a positive impact.

He received a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Harvard and did his undergraduate studies at Stanford University.

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Ben Belldegrun has more than 16 years of successful agriculture investing experience. Prior to Aliment Capital, Ben was Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Lodgestone, a $100M Natural Resources Fund focusing on agriculture. Ben was also a portfolio manager at Brevan Howard Asset Management, in the $300M Natural Resources Fund.

Ben holds a BA in Economics from Columbia University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

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Cameron Wheeler has served as a partner on the Therapeutics team at Deerfield, since December 2018, and previously served as a principal at Deerfield beginning in September 2014. Prior to joining Deerfield, Dr. Wheeler was at Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. (now Sesen Bio, Inc.), where he was responsible for corporate development and commercial strategy. Previous to that, he was Manager of the Business Development and Operations team at Constellation Pharmaceuticals and a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures.

He holds a Ph.D. and S.M. in Biological Engineering and an S.B. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Jackie Jackson oversees Financial Planning & Analysis as well as Financial Accounting & Control at Pairwise, bringing over 15 years of financial and operational expertise to the role. She joined Pairwise in 2021 as Senior Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis, drawing on her extensive experience in consumer packaged goods from nearly 12 years of progressively senior roles at Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. Prior to that, she did a brief stint in public accounting working in litigation and valuation financial support. She holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from McKendree University in Accounting and Economics & Finance and is a licensed CPA (inactive) in the state of Missouri. Beyond her professional contributions, Jackie is an active participant in Pairwise's Culture Committee and a dedicated member of the Pairwise Inclusion Committee Book Club. Outside of work, she pursues her passion for dressage by training and competing horses and teaching riding lessons.

She also enjoys travel adventures, food and wine exploration, dancing, and caring for her rescue dogs as a proud “dog mom.”

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Dr. Shai Lawit is an experienced leader in agricultural biotechnology with over 20 years in industry R&D. Since joining Pairwise in 2019, he has spearheaded the development of novel traits and technologies, guiding numerous projects across various crops such as fruits, vegetables, and row crops. Shai’s expertise in gene editing and precision breeding drives the advancement of commercial quality traits in elite germplasm, supporting their delivery to the marketplace. Shai holds a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology and a B.Sc. in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida. His career includes significant contributions to trait biotechnology at Corteva and DuPont Pioneer. A respected figure in the scientific community, Shai has an extensive publication and patent record, reflecting his commitment to innovation and excellence in agricultural science.

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Lucy Wert is the Head of Human Resources at Pairwise, where she leverages over 15 years of expertise in talent management, organizational effectiveness, and employee engagement. Prior to joining Pairwise in 2019, Lucy built and scaled HR teams across multiple startups, leading key initiatives in people development, strategic workforce planning, and HR technology. She has also guided organizations through complex mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings, and played a pivotal role in cultural transformation and performance management efforts. Lucy holds a BA in Economics from Indiana University. In addition to her professional contributions, she is an active participant in Pairwise’s Inclusion Committee and a dedicated advocate for fostering community within the workplace.

Outside of work, Lucy enjoys traveling, exploring new culinary experiences, and is an active board member at Downtown Durham, Inc.

Dan Jenkins is VP, Regulatory and Government Affairs. Dan has 25+ years’ experience working in the food and agriculture industry. Prior to joining Pairwise, he was the Managing Director and Chief of Staff of the Agricultural Section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) trade association in Washington, DC. Dan also led Monsanto’s Regulatory team in DC, overseeing all domestic chemistry and biotech crop approvals across FDA, EPA and USDA, and at the beginning of his career, worked in pesticide commercial sales, as well as R&D, for Dow AgroSciences. Dan currently sits on the American Seed Trade Association’s board, as well as the advisory board to North Carolina State University’s Plant Sciences Initiative’s Center of Excellence for Regulatory Science in Agriculture.

Dan earned a BS in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, an MS degree in Entomology and Applied Ecology from the University of Delaware, and his JD from Loyola Law School.

Dr. Aaron Hummel has been improving crops through better genetics for 17 years. Aaron joined Pairwise in 2018 from global plant breeding company KWS, where he established their US-based genome editing team and program. As Senior Vice President of R&D for Pairwise, Aaron leads discovery and development efforts to support the Company’s diverse business, including crop traits,  enabling technologies, and the Fulcrum platform that is creating new opportunities in agriculture and beyond. Aaron is an expert in plant molecular genetics and genome editing technologies, holding over 25 patents and patent applications, and over ten peer-reviewed research publications.

Aaron did postdoc research at the University of Minnesota, holds a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Iowa State University, and a BS in Biology from Hillsdale College. He is a decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

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Ryan Bartlett joined Pairwise in 2023. Having done his postdoctoral studies on protein-protein interactions related Parkinson’s disease and cardiovascular disease at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ryan left academia to take a research scientist position at Monsanto. After almost ten years at Monsanto, Ryan held several positions at Compass Minerals including VP of Innovation and Product Development, Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Genetics and a doctorate in Biochemistry and Biophysics from University of Kansas, Lawrence. Ryan continues to be involved as 5th generation owner in the planning and management of his family’s farm and cow-calf operation in Paradise, Kansas.

He is the author and co-author of numerous publications in the field of biochemistry, biophysics and cell biology.

Ian Miller serves as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing business and corporate development, and business operations. Ian joined Pairwise in 2018 as Vice President, Business Operations. Ian brings diverse technical, legal, and operational leadership experience in the life sciences field to Pairwise, serving most recently as Chief Business Officer and General Counsel at Epic Sciences. Ian holds a JD, with honors, from Duke University School of Law and a BS in biochemistry and cellular biology from the University of California, San Diego.

An avid fan of Duke sports, Ian also enjoys brewing his own craft beer.

Dr. Tom Adams co-founded Pairwise and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Tom has over 25 years of leadership experience heading up biotechnology for global companies, serving most recently as Vice President of Global Biotechnology at Monsanto where he led the team developing a broad range of innovative products. Tom wanted to realize the possibilities of CRISPR and gene editing in plants, and co-founded Pairwise to realize this potential in a mission-based environment. Formerly a faculty member at Texas A&M University, Tom holds a PhD in microbiology and plant science from Michigan State University and a BS in botany and plant pathology from Oregon State University. Tom is a long-time distance runner and often competes in local events.