John Higley

John started research for what became EQO in 2016 with the goal of bringing the modern molecular biology lab to the field of environmental biology. Prior to forming EQO, John worked on early cancer diagnostic platforms and microbiome analytics at Thermo Fisher Scientific and led the experimental therapeutics department as the Senior Director of R&D at Molecular Templates. John founded EQO following the successful development of EQO’s flagship detection platform; originally developed for a grant-funded study of three Texas lakes. At EQO, John has further developed RNA preservation and population dynamic analytics systems, a patent pending automated collection and preservation platform, and is developing an NSF and US-BoR funded biopesticide for mitigation and eradication of zebra mussel infestation. John is a science advisor to the interagency working group on eDNA, which includes representatives from USGS (United States Geological Survey), US-BoR (United States Bureau of Reclamation), USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), and multiple state Departments of Natural Resources.