Honored Alumnus Counts Beyond Burger, Cancer Therapeutics Among Innovations

Beyond Burger creator Tim Geistlinger (Biochemistry, ‘92) was named the College of Science and Mathematics' Honored Alumnus for 2019. Geistlinger is driven by a passion to create scientific solutions that tackle major problems, and has a track record of innovative breakthroughs across various medical, industrial and academic arenas. 

In the early-mid ‘90s, Geistlinger engineered antibodies that formed the foundation for the first examples of targeted cancer therapeutics. He also identified a series of compounds from plant extracts used today to treat symptoms associated with HIV-AIDS. 

Photo by Ofer Kor.
Used under Creative Commons License.

Most recently, Geistlinger created and led the research and development team at Beyond Meat, creating products from plants using simple ingredients. Most notably, he developed the Beyond Burger; the first animal-free meat product to be sold in the meat counter that cooks and tastes like meat. 

Currently, Geistlinger is the chief technology officer at Perfect Day, a disruptive dairy startup developing technology to produce milk from fermentation, not cows. He leads all scientific research and development efforts for the Bay Area company, where his work is focused on creating earth-friendly, high-quality, functional proteins that deliver a full-dairy experience without the environmental and welfare issues inherent to factory farming. 

Geistlinger’s scientific career includes roles at Shaman Pharmaceuticals, MIGROS AG, Stanford University, Genentech, Tokyo University, Harvard Medical School, The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Amyris Biotechnologies and Beyond Meat. 

During his free time, Geistlinger can be found playing guitar with his two children or biking the coastal roads of California.