Uncommon Thinkers: Ingrid Swanson Pultz devotes herself to improving lives through protein design
Dr. Ingrid Swanson Pultz, a trailblazer in protein design, began her career at the University of Washington with a passion for creating innovative biological solutions.
Pultz became the first person to develop a tangible and applicable enzyme, KumaMax, using Nobel Prize-winning methods and founded UW’s iGEM team, leading them to become the first American team to win the competition with this discovery. Later, she joined UW’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD) as its first translational investigator, a new position for scientists focused on commercializing technology.
Pultz, a graduate of the LSW Institute’s WIN Mentoring Program, continues to build on her contributions to the region’s life sciences sector as the chief technology officer at Mopac Biologics, a Seattle-based company spun out of the IPD.