Leslie Pearson, Ph.D., Director, Regulatory Affairs
Pearson joined ArborGen in 2003 as director of regulatory affairs. His responsibilities include securing commercial approvals for ArborGen’s products in key geographies, and overseeing permits for field tests. Prior to joining ArborGen, Pearson was a scientist at Westvaco Forest Science Laboratory. He then became the molecular biology project leader responsible for managing research teams in growth genes, flowering control, and stress resistance. Les started his career at the University of Georgia where he worked as a post-doctoral student in plant gene expression research.

Pearson received his Ph.D. from the John Innes Institute at the University of East Anglia where he did breakthrough research on the control of gene expression in transgenic plant cells. He has a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of East Anglia in England where he graduated magna cum laude.