Have you met?
Natalie Breakfield
Vice President of Research and Discovery
New Leaf Symbiotics
Describe your journey to BRDG Park
I have been working at NewLeaf Symbiotics in BRDG Park for eight years. Like most people, my journey to my current position did not follow a straight path. I grew up in a small town in Missouri and started my undergraduate studies with the idea that I would become a medical doctor. I knew I liked science, but I really did not understand non-medical jobs that were possible in science. I did some research as an undergraduate, caught the research bug, and decided to go on to graduate school where I earned a master’s degree.
In the meantime, life happened. I got married, eventually had three kids, and was a stay-at-home mom for a while. I tried to keep current with my science skills and knowledge by teaching at the college level and working in labs.
Eventually, I made my way to the Danforth Center where I worked as a technician. It was such an exciting place to be – beautiful facilities, amazing scientists, and meaningful work – what a dream! Once my kids were all in school, I decided I needed a Ph.D. and applied all around the country. Our family moved to North Carolina for me to attend Duke University. It was a challenging program, but quite the adventure. I am still in awe at all the fabulous scientists I worked with both there and during my postdoc at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Serendipitously, I made a poster presentation on some amazing pink plant growth promoting bacteria I was studying and ended up talking to someone associated with NewLeaf. Once we realized the pink bacterial isolates I was studying were the same genus as the ones they were commercializing, I found myself interviewing for a job at NewLeaf within a few weeks.
What are you excited to be working on right now?
NewLeaf Symbiotics makes biological products for agriculture using pink pigmented facultative methylotrophs or PPFMs. These little pink bacteria help plants promote growth, increase yield and, in certain cases, resist pathogens. Right now, I am excited to be working on some new R&D projects we have going at NewLeaf. They are not completely ready for me to discuss publicly, but we are getting data and figuring out our best path forward. It is so exciting to be working in a place where we can move from idea to product relatively quickly.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
My husband and I are empty nesters and have enjoy seeing our kids get settled. We also ride our bikes several times a week. We mostly ride on the Katy Trail but sometimes we ride to other places around town. The best trips have a stop for some cold beer in the middle!