Dr. Carlson is a “farm kid” from southwestern Minnesota who took an interest in biotechnology when his family began planting GM crops in the ’90s. In pursuit of this interest, Dr. Carlson attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a Ph.D. in Animal Sciences with an emphasis in biotechnology and molecular genetics. The focus of his research is the refinement and application of the methodology for genetic engineering in livestock. Through his 13 years in biotechnology research, Carlson has led the development of transposon systems and gene-editing technology in livestock. At Recombinetics he directs the application of gene-editing to develop products while continuing to innovate in the field of genome engineering and develop intellectual property.