James J. Barber

James J. Barber, President & CEO, Metabolix, Inc.

Dr. Barber joined Metabolix Inc. in 2000 as President and CEO. Under his leadership, Metabolix has developed the technology needed to produce a new family of Natural Plastic, has formed a joint venture with Archer Daniels Midland to commercialize Natural Plastic, which will be starting up a 50,000 ton commercial manufacturing plant in Clinton, Iowa in 2008, and became a publicly traded company, listed on NASDAQ, in November 2006. 

Prior to joining Metabolix, he served as Global Business Director for the Organometallics and Catalysts business of Albemarle Corporation, with global P&L responsibility for that $100+ million business, where he led the development and implementation of strategies that resulted in the strong growth of Albemarle’s polymer catalyst business, including its emerging metallocenes business.

Prior to his position with Albemarle, Dr. Barber served as Director, Business Development with Ethyl Corporation, with responsibility for acquisitions and managing Ethyl’s venture capital activities, as President of Geltech, Inc., a venture capital backed Company focused in the area of precision molded micro optics, and as Chief Operating Officer of Hyperion Catalysis International, a development stage Company producing carbon nano-fibers.

Dr. Barber received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1976, and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980.

He received the American Chemical Society’s Henry F. Whalen, Jr. award for Business Development in September 2003.