People: Cobb-Vantress appoints Christine Daugherty

Dr Christine Daugherty has been appointed chief technology officer for Cobb-Vantress, Inc. In her new role she will lead a cross-functional team responsible for establishing external research strategies and collaborations with academic institutions and other research partners.

Dr Daugherty, who has a scientific as well as legal background, will also oversee intellectual property, patents, competitive intelligence and other scientific research.

She joined Tyson Foods in 2003 as a corporate attorney focusing on regulatory compliance, food safety, animal welfare and intellectual property. More recently as director of intellectual property and technology development, she led a company-wide program to help provide scientific solutions to address global food challenges. She also managed patent portfolio and provided scientific liaison with customers, trade associations, government officials and research institutions.

After graduating initially in biological sciences at Iowa, Dr Daugherty moved to Louisiana State University to obtain a doctorate degree focusing on gene expression. She was awarded a federal grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to conduct research that ultimately led to experimentations flown aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997, studying how microgravity and space flight affect genetic activity and growth of plants.

She then studied for a law degree at the University of Arkansas, and worked as a registered patent attorney at Little Rock for three years before joining Tyson Foods.