About Phage Biocontrol

Phage Biocontrol was founded by Drs. Neil and Elizabeth Summer in December 2007 with the purpose of using bacteriophage to remediate pipeline corrosion and reservoir souring. Located near College Station, Texas, Phage Biocontrol has a close partnership with Texas A&M University's Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, along with the Department of Petroleum Engineering.

The Team

  • James Y. Lancaster, CEO/Chairman - With an extensive background advising entrepreneurs and early-stage companies, James has co-founded three technology companies and serves as a board member or advisor to other start-up businesses. His experience includes bootstrapped, angel investor and venture capital-backed businesses, as well as Fortune 500 clients such as Alcatel, Allied Signal, Ericsson, Bridgestone/Firestone, Haliburton, Herman Miller, Honeywell, Sonoco and Trinity. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Texas A&M and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
  • Dr. Neil Summer, President/Founder - He has a Ph.D. in Geology with over 35 years of experience in the oil & gas industry. He has had a varied career in Industry and Academia. His experience ranges from starting and running a diving safari company, to being a Project Manager at INTEC Engineering specializing in deepwater geohazards. He is familiar with academics and the academic environment, having himself worked and taught at universities.
  • Dr. Elizabeth Summer, Chief Science Officer - She is a full time researcher and teacher at TAMU in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. She has a broad molecular biology background and over 3 years of experience with phage biology and therapeutic applications.
  • Sarah "Sassie" Duggleby, VP of Marketing - Sassie has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M and a MBA from Virginia Tech. For the past few years, she has been in charge of all marketing, customer support, and sales support for a small, high-growth technology start-up based in Blacksburg, VA. Her previous experience also includes web marketing, applications engineering, and consulting.

Phage Biocontrol is currently a client of the Research Valley Innovation Center in College Station, TX.