Derek Vardon serves as CEO and CTO of Alder Renewables and brings more than 15 years of experience in biofuel and catalytic technology development. Previously, he was a research group leader at NREL and has contributed to more than 50 patents and publications in the field. He earned his PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Colorado School of Mines.