Our Team
Our team is purpose-built to drive research, scale production, and commercialize products. We are comprised of industry-leading scientists, commercial agronomists, and executive professionals. The expertise and distinct skill sets of the founding members allow for critical intellectual property development and rapid execution and deployment of commercial technology.
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Aardra is co-founder, co-inventor, and co-Chief Scientific Officer of Phytogenesis.
Her research of over 20 years, at the University of Kentucky, where Aardra is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, led to the technology that Phytogenesis leverages. With over 30 years of training and experience in microbiology, plant physiology and immunity, Aardra is considered a leader in the field of systemic plant immunity and currently serves as Program Director at the National Science Foundation.
Before joining as faculty at the University of Kentucky, Aardra was a postdoctoral scholar at Cornell University and Duke University and has a PhD from MS University of Baroda, India, and the Salk Institute of Biological Studies.
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Emiliano Aloi is an Argentine-born entrepreneur and investor with deep expertise at the intersection of agriculture, biotechnology, and finance. With family roots in large-scale farming in South America, he has led and co-founded multiple ventures across biofuels, novel crops, and industrial hemp—securing Uruguay’s first national hemp cultivation license in 2016 and developing genetics with leading universities.
Emiliano has served as President & CEO of Exactus, Inc. (OTCQB: EXDI), scaling fully traceable hemp production, and co-founded PhytoGenesis, an ag-biotech company pioneering next-generation plant health solutions. His work spans building global supply chains, financing agricultural innovation, and advancing sustainable production across crops from chia and stevia to algae and sorghum.
Today, based in Delray Beach, FL, Emiliano is a partner in a multifamily office with holdings in biotechnology, real estate, fintech, and agtech, while remaining actively involved in agricultural and biotech ventures across the Americas.
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Pradeep is co-founder, co-inventor, and co-Chief Scientific Officer of Phytogenesis. With over 20 years of experience in plant biology, he is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a globally recognized leader in plant immunity and chemical signaling.
Pradeep Kachroo earned his Ph.D. from M.S. University, Baroda, India, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He completed postdoctoral research at Rutgers University and the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University. He currently serves as a Professor at the University of Kentucky and Director of the Center for Agricultural and Life Sciences Metabolomics.
His research has made pioneering contributions to plant-microbe interactions, lipid-based immune signaling, and resistance protein-mediated defense mechanisms. A global authority on Systemic Acquired Resistance, Pradeep Kachroo’s discoveries have reshaped our understanding of chloroplast function in plant immunity, uncovering key links between defense signaling, light-regulated pathways, and small RNA biogenesis.
With a strong track record in scientific innovation, leadership, and translational research, Dr. Kachroo continues to drive cutting-edge advancements in plant health, sustainability, and agricultural biotechnology.
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Henri is the co-founder and Chief Agronomist of PhytoGenesis.
Enrique (Henri) Marmillon has over thirty-five years of experience in Phyto-biology and plant breeding. He has overseen agricultural operations in multiple countries and specialized in bringing novel crops to mainstream agriculture. In his most recent role, Henri leveraged his global network and regulatory experience to develop new pathways for mainstream agriculture and food/pharmaceutical companies to accept hemp-derived products.
