Dr. Kirsten Allen is a Science Associate at Schmidt Sciences. In her role, she supports the Virtual Institute on Feedstocks of the Future, a research funding program focused on developing the science, technology, and engineering needed to increase the use of underutilized biomass as starting materials for bioproduction.

Kirsten completed her doctoral training through the New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program, where she investigated approaches to optimize essential oil biosynthesis in the catnip plant. She was supported by the Rutgers University Pipeline – Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Fellowship, the Robert White-Stevens Graduate Fellowship, and the QUAD Fellowship. Prior to joining Schmidt Sciences, she pursued postdoctoral training at the Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute, where she worked at the Center on Sustainability and Governance in the Anthropocene. Her research focused on food system governance and planetary health, employing systems approaches to enhance the resilience of island food systems against climate change.

She earned her Ph.D. in Plant Biology with a concentration in Natural Products and Human Health from Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Georgia where she received her B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences along with a minor in Plant Biology and a Certificate in International Agriculture.