Barry Martin

Barry Martin is senior agricultural advisor at Flagship Pioneering. He works with scientists and product development teams in a number of Flagship-founded companies to improve speed of innovation, science and technology development. He first joined the Flagship ecosystem through CiBO technologies, where he served as vice president of plant sciences. He later worked alongside Flagship’s partners to found Inari Agriculture, Invaio Sciences, and other FlagshipLabs companies operating in agriculture and sustainability.

With an 30+ year career in agriculture, Barry is an expert in plant biology, genetics, crop science, plant pathology, and entomology. He worked at North Carolina State University and University of Illinois before moving into the seed industry and leadership roles at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, DEKALB Genetics, Monsanto, and Syngenta. Barry has worked in research domains including seed physiology, genetic analysis, reproductive biology, and improved quality management systems.

Barry is the author and co-author of numerous patents and over 50 refereed publications spanning the areas of plant metabolism, energetics, development, and genetics with a focus on improving agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Barry received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in plant biology and genetics, working jointly with N.E. Tolbert in plant biochemistry and Dr. P.E. Carlson in genetics, both in the university’s Crop Science Department.