Arda
Akyel

I'm a chemical engineer with a PhD from Montana State University and a career at the intersection of pharmaceutical validation, bioprocess engineering, and applied research. Currently at Arcadis, I lead commissioning, qualification, and validation efforts across greenfield biomanufacturing sites — qualifying complex process equipment from fill-finish to oligonucleotide synthesis.

Before industry, I spent seven years at the Center for Biofilm Engineering researching bacterial enzymatic biomineralization — using microorganisms to seal CO₂ leakage pathways in subsurface environments. That work resulted in five publications, a U.S. patent, and a large-scale field demonstration at a coal-fired power plant in Gorgas, Alabama.

My strongest asset is the ability to move fluidly between rigorous scientific thinking and real-world manufacturing constraints — whether drafting ASTM E2500 risk-based qualification strategies or optimizing enzyme kinetics under harsh pH and temperature conditions.