UF Graduate Student Start-Up Focuses on Creating Chemicals From Ocean Microbes

In Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Captain Nemo describes the sea as “everything,” the “vast reservoir of Nature.” A pair of UF Ph.D. students are diving into these vast depths. They are harnessing the power of marine microbes and unlocking their potential for sustainable chemical applications. Jessica Tittl Nielsen (CEO) and Monica Schul (Chief Science Officer) founded a biotechnology company, Cordelia Biosciences, to create sustainable chemicals from ocean microbes. Cordelia Biosciences is incubating at UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech.

In their graduate programs, Jessica and Monica share an advisor, Dr. Julie Meyer, an assistant professor of microbial ecology and bioinformatics in the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences (SWES). Monica is a SWES student. Jessica is in the UF School of Natural Resources and Environment, studying interdisciplinary ecology with a focus in business administration.

Cordelia Biosciences’ mission is to elevate the role of chemistry in preserving our planet. This start-up enlists ocean microbes to create a clean blue chemical portfolio. Blue is a novel term for their market centered around ocean-based products.

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