Dr. Robert Hanchar is a project manager and senior scientist at MSUBI-Lansing. He holds more than twenty years of industrial experience in the development of recovery and purification processes as well as extensive experience in analytical chemistry. He received both his Bachelor of Science degree and Doctoral degree in synthetic organic chemistry from Michigan State University. While in college, Bob also worked in the MSU synthesis laboratory, synthesizing and purifying a variety of different compounds including preparing the chemical irritant in poison ivy, preparing deuterium labeled polyaza compounds, and purifying tritium labeled tetrachlorodibenzodioxan (TCDD).
After earning his PhD, Bob joined the Synthon Corporation as its second official employee. At Synthon, Bob worked on developing economically viable, scalable processes for the commercial production of 4-carbon chiral intermediates for the pharmaceutical industry—the most important being the production of (R) Ethyl 4-cyano-3-hydroxybutyrate, a key intermediate in the production of statin-based cholesterol lowering pharmaceuticals. As Synthon grew, Bob also acted as the lab manager, supervising the production, purification, analysis, and quality control of products produced in Synthon’s research and kilo lab. Largely due to Bob’s success in developing a scalable process for the synthesis and purification of (R) Ethyl 4-cyano-3-hydroxybutyrate, Synthon was able to successfully produce qualifying batches for a major pharmaceutical.
Bob’s primary responsibility at MSUBI is the development of economically viable, environmental friendly, scalable recovery and purification processes for fermentation-derived products. While at MSUBI, Bob has participated in the development of proprietary, gypsum-free processes for the production of succinic and fumaric acids by fermentation. In addition, he provides expert general and analytical support for all projects at the Lansing facility.