Switch Bioworks appoints new CSO as nitrogen-fixing microbe startup expands Midwest corn trials

Switch Bioworks, the Stanford University spinout developing engineered nitrogen-fixing microbes for corn, has appointed Gordana Djordjevic as its new Chief Science Officer and added a new board advisor as the company expands its multi-state field trial program, according to AgWired.

The appointment comes as Switch Bioworks scales from greenhouse work to what founder Tim Schnabel has called the “ultimate test” — whether its microbes can survive, establish themselves, and perform as programmed under real field conditions. The company is currently running in-furrow field trials across six U.S. states in the Midwest corn belt, targeting the 2026 growing season.

Switch Bioworks’ approach uses a genetic switch that allows its engineered microbes to first colonize plant roots and compete with native soil bacteria before activating nitrogen fixation. The two-phase strategy addresses a persistent challenge in biological nitrogen fertilizer: engineered microbes that begin producing ammonia immediately tend to exhaust their energy and get outcompeted by native soil organisms within days.

The company raised $17 million in a funding round earlier in 2026 and holds a $2 million ARPA-E grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. A recent MIT Technology Review feature profiled the company’s technology, noting that Switch Bioworks’ modeling suggests its microbes could eventually replace approximately 50% of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in corn at yield parity.

Field trial results from the current growing season are expected later in 2026. If the data supports the greenhouse performance, Switch Bioworks would move toward commercial product development targeting the 2028 or 2029 planting season.

Source: AgWired