Frank A. Shotkoski, Director Agricultural Biotechnology Support
Project, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Frank Shotkoski, Ph.D. is the Director of the Agricultural Biotechnology
Support Project II (ABSPII) at Cornell University where he is directing a
USAID funded project that has a mandate to commercialize genetically
engineered trait based crops for developing countries in Africa and Asia.
Before joining Cornell University in 2005, Frank worked as the Global Cotton
Traits Technical Manager with Novartis and later Syngenta from 1998-2004
where he built a cotton biotechnology program that resulted in the development of trait-based product
using the insecticidal protein Vip3A (VipCotTM).
Prior to Syngenta, Frank held the positions of
Research Associate and Research Fellow at the University of Washington’s Department of Medical
Genetics. In these positions, he conducted research on human gene therapy applications with an
emphasis on developing gene-based therapies for treatment of patients with hematopoietic diseases
such a sickle cell anemia and
-thalasemia.
Frank Shotkoski earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Entomology from the University of Minnesota in 1992
and Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska. Frank is a senior level
biotechnology project and business development professional specializing in product development
and commercialization of genetically engineered trait-based crop products. His expertise stems from
20 years of academic and industrial experience in both medical and agricultural biotechnology.