About
The Scientist Behind
the Analysis
Scientific due diligence for biotech investors, grounded in over a decade of hands-on molecular biology research, a granted U.S. patent, and publications in the world's leading scientific journals.
Professional headshot
Education
Ph.D., Microbiology & Plant Pathology — UC Riverside
B.Sc., Biology — UC San Diego
Patent
Named Inventor, U.S. Patent 11,186,845 B1
Patent Training
Casimir Jones Life Sciences Patent Academy
Fellowships
National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (awarded)
Dr. Gregory Newkirk, Ph.D.
I've delivered technical due diligence for biotech investment decisions — evaluating whether the science holds up, how defensible the IP is, and where the real risks lie. That work draws on over a decade of hands-on molecular biology research, spanning CRISPR gene editing, nanotechnology, and agricultural biotechnology.
My doctoral research at UC Riverside in the Giraldo Laboratory focused on the intersection of nanotechnology and plant biology, developing novel approaches for delivering biomolecules into plant cells using engineered nanomaterials. That work led to publications in Nature Nanotechnology and ACS Nano, and to a granted U.S. patent — U.S. Patent 11,186,845 B1 — on which I am a named inventor.
Before my doctoral work, I served as Senior Research Associate at Cibus, leading next-generation sequencing and CRISPR initiatives. I then joined BASF as Scientist III, leading the Host Strain Engineering team building CRISPR-based tools for agricultural biotechnology.
I completed formal patent training through the Casimir Jones Life Sciences Patent Academy. That training, combined with the experience of filing my own patent, means I understand IP not as an abstraction but from the inventor's perspective. I founded Priori Intelligence to bring that combination — real scientific depth plus genuine IP literacy — to investors and founders who need more than keyword searches and boilerplate reports.
Selected Publications
- Nature Nanotechnology — Plant nanobiotechnology research on nanomaterial-mediated biomolecule delivery in plants
- ACS Nano — Engineered nanomaterials for plant science applications
My Approach
Every analysis I deliver is AI-accelerated but scientist-validated. I use modern research tools for speed and scale, then apply the scientific judgment that only comes from years at the bench. Investors need to make decisions fast. My goal is to get them a rigorous, honest technical read in days, not weeks — without the generic boilerplate that passes for due diligence elsewhere.
Career
Professional Experience
Founder & Principal Consultant
Priori Intelligence
Biotech IP intelligence and scientific due diligence consultancy
Advisory (formerly Solventum Advisory)
Solventum Advisory → Priori Intelligence
Scientific consulting and patent analysis services
Scientist III, Host Strain Engineering Team Lead
BASF
Led CRISPR-based strain engineering programs for agricultural biotechnology
Ph.D. Research — Giraldo Laboratory
UC Riverside
Doctoral research in plant nanobiotechnology, CRISPR delivery systems, and nanotechnology-enabled gene editing
Senior Research Associate, NGS & CRISPR Lead
Cibus
Next-generation sequencing and CRISPR gene editing pipeline development
Research Assistant — Mayfield Lab
UC San Diego
Algal biofuels and recombinant protein expression research
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