Victor holmes, ph.d.

Victor Holmes is a biochemist whose twenty-year career has bridged environmental science and biotechnology with a consistent focus on helping humanity more gracefully coexist with the ecosystem. He earned his undergraduate degree in biology from MIT and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from UC Berkeley, then pivoted into applied environmental research during a postdoc in Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he developed microbiological methods for degrading soil-borne toxins. This work led to several years in the field with an environmental consultancy, deploying those technologies at contaminated sites across North America.

In 2007, he joined Amyris, a pioneer in biofuels and biomanufacturing, where he remained for 16 years. His roles ranged from bench scientist to program manager, including serving as technical lead on automated DNA assembly and NGS infrastructure, co-authoring and managing DARPA-funded projects, and directing teams that brought four of Amyris’s thirteen commercialized products to market. He frequently represented the company in public talks and client engagements, serving as a trusted scientific communicator and point of contact for partners and customers. In addition to his technical leadership, Victor became a respected people manager and internal cultural leader—supporting two dozen direct reports over seven years, teaching in management training programs, authoring company-wide policies, leading committees for biosafety and sustainability, and ultimately serving as Head of Biology.

Since 2024, he has advised a range of bio-climate startups, offering expertise in strain engineering, R&D infrastructure, and scaling strategy. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.