While formal data science courses have been introduced to US colleges in the last 15-ish years, professionals before that time had to learn on the fly, as the tech world adapted rapidly around them. Mike Stern experienced that phenomenon firsthand, and used his Chemistry degree from Denison as a starting point for the slew of unique skills he built in his career.
Mike came to Denison specifically to pursue a Chemistry major and got exactly what he hoped for. Reflecting on his undergraduate experience, Mike recalls the exceptionally supportive faculty and the opportunities he had to engage outside the classroom, including his role as a June-O leader (back when it was on campus!), as a TA, and while conducting undergraduate research. The more involved he became, the more he gained from these experiences, a theme that continued through his January term summer research at the University of Florida and his graduate studies at the University of Michigan and Princeton University. As he began his time at Michigan, Mike felt genuinely prepared for any challenges he would encounter, as his time at Denison equipped him with a solid foundational knowledge and an understanding of the benefits that arise from strong faculty relationships. When his mentor moved to Princeton, Mike followed him there and engaged in graduate research focused on mimicking the enzymes naturally produced in humans to detoxify the body, placing emphasis on developing industrially relevant catalysts.
During a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT, Mike had to choose between a future in academia, versus one in industrial science, and chose the latter, getting a role with Monsanto in St. Louis, where he’s been since 1988. Before wrapping up that fellowship, however, he closed out his research into enzyme production that could limit cancer cells’ ability to reproduce, with consideration to drug development for that purpose.
When Mike joined Monsanto in their corporate research group, they were involved in several areas, including chemistry, pharmaceuticals, food additives, agriculture, and more. Mike’s work led him to a team that developed catalytic antiviral drugs and medications designed to modulate the cardiovascular system. He always felt that his strong scientific knowledge provided a solid foundation, but his broader experiences from Denison were integral to his success. Bringing scientific expertise into meetings with business professionals enabled him to maintain a holistic view of his projects, and he effectively communicated his insights to advance ideas. This combination of skills proved beneficial when he transitioned to a new group in the 90s, which was created to address Monsanto’s 12 most environmentally damaging processes. Mike focused on one particular process for producing an essential chemical used in tire manufacturing. He ultimately led a highly successful campaign to transform the production of this commodity chemical, reducing waste from 3 pounds per pound of product to under 0.07 pounds.
In 2013, Monsanto acquired The Climate Corporation, aiming to identify which businesses were most impacted by weather and to leverage that data during the early days of ag-tech. After decades of successful work with Monsanto, Mike was offered the CEO position at The Climate Corporation and accepted, leading to the last six years of his career, which he described as fulfilling but requiring a lot of adaptation skills. He led the project to partner with farmers for data collection, in return for using that data to provide them with recommendations to enhance their efficiency. Mike effectively built his data science expertise from the ground up throughout his career, with a substantial portion of that growth occurring during his tenure as CEO of The Climate Corporation.
For those with the chance to build data literacy skills in college, instead of waiting until after graduation, Mike strongly recommends taking advantage of those classes. Even now, he credits his time at Denison for his ability to be skeptical of ideas, and apply true research methods to business. As he self-taught new skills in the rapidly evolving world of data, he never felt disconnected from the foundational knowledge that made him an expert in many settings. That combination of scientific knowledge and professionally acquired business skills opened many doors for Mike throughout his career, which is why he was able to achieve so much.
For any students who want to hear more about Mike’s career progression, or his ideas for building personal data literacy skills, he can be reached at mkstern6409@gmail.com.
