Q: When and why did you start PhytoSynergy, LLC?

A: I founded PhytoSynergy, LLC on August 22, 2003. PhytoSynergy, LLC will pursue the development of commercial botanical/herbal/medicinal products initially focusing on the development of products involving organic extracts from coffee beans and their use with Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI's). The company expects to interact with various industrial partners which may create opportunities to bring new plant-based contract research to the MU campus which otherwise would not occur.

Q: How is business today? Where are you in the development of PhytoSynergy, LLC?

A: My conflict of interest disclosure, detailing my involvement with PhytoSynergy, LLC and the company's relationship to MU, has recently been reviewed and approved by the MU Conflict of Interest Committee. This allows me to move forward full speed to develop the company. I've just resubmitted an STTR grant application to the NIH associated with the coffee bean research. Ongoing networking is taking place to develop the necessary business infrastructure.

Q: What resources were useful to you when starting PhytoSynergy, LLC?

A: I found a number of resources very helpful in starting PhytoSynergy, LLC. MoFast reviewed my STTR proposal. The Missouri Innovation Center (MIC) has been very supportive in many ways. E-Group meetings sowed "seed ideas" which have contributed to the underlying philosophy behind PhytoSynergy and provided ways to network with other entrepreneurs at MU and in the Columbia, MO area. SPARC meetings are very helpful for networking and KC Catalyst was helpful as well. Dialogue with business representatives associated with the botanical and pharmaceutical industry has been very helpful. A number of my colleagues on the MU campus have also been very helpful in providing insightful perspectives.

Q: What advice do you have for others starting their own companies?

A: I feel that patience and perseverance are two very important characteristics for a person to have when starting a new company. Being flexible in one's thought process is also important, especially when trying to network with colleagues. I feel that seeking the council of others is probably the best way to test ideas when starting a new business. The advice one receives from those who are close to the intended business area tends to be especially helpful.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to mention about starting PhytoSynergy, LLC?

A: Overall, while there have been some frustrating bumps along the way to starting up PhytoSynergy, LLC, I feel this has been an excellent, ongoing learning experience.

Q: Tell me about your educational background.

A: I received both my undergraduate and graduate education in South Africa. I received a B.Sc. in Botany and Zoology in 1976, a B.Sc. Honors in Botany in 1977, and a Higher Diploma in Education in 1978, all from Rhodes University in South Africa. I later did my graduate work at the University of Natal, also in South Africa (now the University of KwaZulu-Natal), where I received a M.Sc. in Plant Systematics in 1983 and a Ph.D. in Plant Systematics in 1985.

Q: How about your work experience? Where have you worked?

A: After receiving my Ph.D., I was a post-doctoral fellow in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, United Kingdom (http://www.rbgkew.org.uk). I returned to South Africa in 1986, where I was an Assistant Professor in Plant Systematics at Rhodes University (www.ru.ac.za) as well as a curator for the Rhodes University Herbarium. In 1988, I became an Assistant Professor in Plant Systematics at the University of the Witwatersrand (www.wits.ac.za) in South Africa. I worked there until 1998, when I moved to Columbia, Missouri where I began work as a Research Associate on the Maize Mapping Project. I moved into a Research Associate position with the Plant Ontology™ Consortium (http://www.plantontology.org) in October 2003, where I am employed with 50% FTE today. I am a Research Associate at the Missouri Botanical Garden (http://www.mobot.org), St. Louis, since November of 2002 and am the Associate Curator of the Dunn-Palmer Herbarium of UM-C (http://www.missouri.edu/~umo_herb).

Q: What professional organizations are you affiliated with?

A: I am a member of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), the Botanical Society of America (BSA), the International Association of Plant Taxonomists (IAPT), the American Botanical Council, and I am a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS).

Q: What honors and rewards have your received?

A: They include a South African funded, Post-doctoral Fellowship at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom, being advanced onto the Special List for Lecturers at the University of the Witwatersrand, and sabbatical leave at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Q: What are your research interests?

A: My research interests are in the Plant Systematics (Taxonomy) field. I have specialized in two plant groups: the genus Senecio (family Compositae/Asteraceae) and the genus Aristea (family Iridaceae). I am currently involved in the development of a controlled vocabulary and ontology for plant structure for maize/corn (Zea mays) and am a collaborator on the Plant Ontology™ Consortium. I contributed to forming the Plant Ontology™ Consortium in 2001. My personal research projects include elucidative studies on the generic concept of the genus Senecio, and a systematic study of the genus Aristea. Systematics-related research on botanicals/medicinal plants of the USA and southern Africa is another growing research interest.

Note: Click here to view Dr. Vincent's curriculum vitae