Our Team
Cinderae Nova’s founders and core executive team bring decades of experience spanning commercial-scale bioleaching, mining and exploratory geology, synthetic biology, and chemical and bioprocess engineering, alongside a strong track record in technology commercialization and entrepreneurship.
Wade Edwards (Ph.D.)
Chief Executive Officer
Wade is a four-time founder and bioprocess engineering leader with more than 20 years of experience translating cutting-edge biology into commercial-scale operations. His career spans precision fermentation, membrane bioreactor design, industrial microbiology, and wastewater treatment engineering, with executive and R&D leadership roles at venture-backed companies in the USA and South Africa. He has directed teams of 25+ scientists and engineers, managed R&D budgets exceeding $6M, and driven technology scale-up from bench to full commercial production. Wade holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Rhodes University and has completed executive education at Emory University's Goizueta Business School.
Johannes Strauss (Ph.D.)
Chief Operating Officer
Johannes (Hannes) is a hydrometallurgical engineer and innovation leader with more than 20 years of experience in commercial mine processing across Chile and the USA. He spent over two decades at BHP, progressing to Superintendent of Development: Innovation Leaching, specializing in commercial-scale bioleaching in Chile. He later served as Manager of Advanced Processing at Sibelco Group in North Carolina, then briefly consulted in Chile before joining Freeport-McMoRan as Chief Geoscientist, leading innovation development and bioleaching. Hannes brings rare bench-to-commercial expertise in the biological mineral processing methods underpinning Cinderae Nova's platform. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from North-West University, South Africa, and did his post-doc at UC Riverside.
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Mark Grodner (Ph.D.)
Chief Resource Officer
Mark is a principal geologist and mineral resource specialist with more than 30 years of experience across exploration, structural geology, and resource consulting — spanning gold, PGMs (platinum, palladium, rhodium, and related Bushveld Complex metals), copper, chrome, zinc, lithium, uranium, and coal. As Cinderae Nova's Chief Resource Officer, he leads evaluation of the company's dual REE/PGM feedstock base and engages directly with Bushveld-area chromite tailings operators from his South Africa base. His career includes senior roles at SRK Consulting, RungePincockMinarco, and TWP Consulting, and nearly nine years at the CSIR researching geological controls on chrome and platinum reef disruption. Mark holds a Ph.D. in Geology from Keele University, UK, and an MSc from the University of Johannesburg.
Victoria is a seasoned R&D leader in biosecurity, molecular biology, and bioengineering, directing multidisciplinary teams at the intersection of science, systems, and policy. Most recently, Victoria led a research and advocacy program to address structural vulnerabilities in pandemic respirator supply chains and strengthen U.S. manufacturing capacity.
Victoria Slaughter
R&D Technical Consultant
info@mysite.com
Jaci Kassmeier (PHR, SHRM-SCP)
Chief Human Resources Officer
(Fractional)
Jaci brings 18 years of HR leadership across startups, biotech, and high-growth organizations. She specializes in building senior leadership teams, intentional culture, and science-focused workplaces, with a strong track record in employee engagement, DE&I, and retention.
Steve Wuench
Chief Financial Officer (Fractional)
With a background in finance & economics, Steve brings 15 years of management consulting & entrepreneurship experience to our team extending from Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley to senior management roles at Phillips.
Mission
To build the world's first fully biological critical mineral separations refinery - unlocking clean, domestic, and low-cost supply through AI-engineered Synthetic Biology.
Vision
We envision a future where biotechnology powers the global critical minerals supply chain. Where mining waste becomes a strategic resource and modular biorefineries enable access to the critical minerals required for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and national security.