Kevin Wells is currently Project Manager for the DARPA-funded biological warfare countermeasures and infectious disease program at Revivicor, and has an extensive background in animal engineering, molecular and cellular biology, and embryology. Prior to coming to PPL, Dr. Wells was a Research Geneticist in the Gene Evaluation and Mapping Laboratory at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Beltsville, MD (1998-2001). His focus was on applications of gene transfer in animal agriculture. Specifically, his research was directed towards genetic selection systems, gene transfer systems, prevention of mastitis via gene transfer, somatic cell nuclear transfer, and identification of genes expressed in the bovine mammary gland. As a post-doctoral fellow, also at USDA (1996-1998), Dr. Wells worked on improvements to transgene expression control systems, optimization of transgene transcription and translation, and genetic insulation of the effects of transgene integration site. Dr. Wells holds a B.S. from the Dept. of Animal Science at the University of Tennessee and a Ph.D. from the Dept. of Genetics at North Carolina State University. His graduate work involved development of porcine and murine embryo culture systems, embryo micromanipulation, modification of digestion via gene transfer, and transgene design, construction, and testing.