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Synthetic Genomics Inc. Appoints Chief Financial Officer

LA JOLLA, Calif. – (BUSINESS WIRE), January 16, 2008 – Synthetic Genomics Inc., a privately held company dedicated to developing and commercializing genomic-driven solutions to address global energy and environmental challenges, today announced the appointment of Chuck McBride as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective February 12, 2008.

McBride brings more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance and development, investor relations and operations, and has been successful in raising more than a billion dollars in his previous experience. He joins Synthetic Genomics from Capstone Turbine Corporation (NASDAQ: CPST), the world’s leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.  Prior to Capstone, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at First Consulting Group (NASDAQ: FCGI), an information technology services company.  Prior to that, McBride served as Chief Financial Officer at Emulex (NYSE: ELX), Kistler Aerospace, Unplugged Communication and CalComp. 

McBride earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting/finance with honors from Ohio State University and a master’s degree in computer systems management from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a member of Financial Executives International.

“Chuck’s successful track record and solid CFO experience combined with his direct experience in bringing new emerging and alternative energy technologies to market make him a significant addition to our company,” said J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., founder and Chief Executive Officer of Synthetic Genomics.  

“Rising energy costs, energy security, climate change, and our dependency on oil and coal are important issues that we can address using biotechnology,” said McBride.  “The ability to biologically produce new renewable energy sources will change the world. I look forward to working with the talented team at Synthetic Genomics who are dedicated to this goal,” added McBride.

About Synthetic Genomics
Synthetic Genomics, Inc., a privately held company founded in 2005, is dedicated to developing and commercializing genomic-driven solutions to address global energy and environmental challenges. Advances in synthetic genomics present limitless applications in a variety of product areas including: chemical, pharmaceutical and energy. The company’s main research and business programs are focused on four bioenergy areas: designing advanced biofuels produced from a variety of bio-feedstocks; developing new biological solutions to increase production and/or recovery rates of subsurface hydrocarbons; conducting in-depth genomic analysis of plants for development of higher yielding, more disease resistant, and economic feedstocks; and harnessing photosynthetic organisms to produce biofuels directly from sunlight and carbon dioxide. For more information, please visit www.syntheticgenomics.com.