circular Kaitlyn Read headshot on gray background

Kaitlyn Read

PhD, Director, Product Development

Kaitlyn Read is the Director of Product Development at 32 Biosciences, a Chicago-based start-up focused on gut microbial organ research. Her work centers on scaling up production of the tri-block copolymer for pre-clinical studies and advancing R&D testing. Additionally, Kaitlyn supports the commercialization of metabolomics assays and contributes to non-dilutive grant writing efforts.

Kaitlyn earned her PhD in Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering from the University of New Mexico in her hometown of Albuquerque, NM. Her doctoral research, conducted in a plant physiology lab, focused on developing a wearable sensor for agricultural crops aimed at reducing water waste. Her interdisciplinary work spanned plant-water relations, polymer chemistry, and computer modeling, resulting in multiple publications and patents on her technology.

Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has been driven by a passion for interdisciplinary science and creative problem-solving. Before pursuing her Ph.D., she gained diverse research experience, including analyzing environmental contamination, collecting DNA samples from a mile-deep mine, and studying bat microbiomes to prevent infections.

Outside of her professional life, Kaitlyn enjoys trail running and baking banana bread as a post-run treat. She is also an active member of a hot air balloon crew, teaches adaptive skiing during the winter, and volunteers at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History’s Naturalist Center.