About PheroSyn
Who we are
PheroSyn is a supplier of pheromone-based insect monitoring and control solutions, several of which cannot be supplied using commercial production routes. We produce a range of products that protect both the crop and the environment in a safe and sustainable manner.
These products are highly specific, designed to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides while protecting the Earth’s fragile biodiversity.
To reduce our environmental footprint we utilise “Green Chemistry” techniques to minimise or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.
Our goal is to empower farmers to achieve sustainable, resilient harvests while fostering ecological balance. Together, we’re building a future where agriculture thrives in harmony with nature.

A Company with Farming at Heart
We understand the challenges of the field because we’ve been there. We walked the rows, faced the unpredictable, and celebrated the harvest. This isn’t just work for us—it’s personal.
That’s why we’re driven to deliver solutions that are not only cutting-edge but also practical and accessible for farmers everywhere, supporting farmers the way we’d support our own.
We invite farmers and growers to connect with our team and share the insect challenges you encounter, whether related to pest control or pollination.
We seek out collaborations with innovative companies and scientific researchers around the world, who share our passion for developing new tools and technological solutions for nature-based farming.
Our History
PheroSyn is a spin-out company from Rothamsted Research, one of the oldest agricultural research institutes in the world, founded in 1843.
Since the mid-1980s, Rothamsted has led the insect chemical ecology field, initially focusing on the use of pheromones for beneficial insect management, and subsequently research regarding how insect pheromones can be applied for crop protection and pest control.
Mr Daniel Bahia, formerly a researcher at Rothamsted, teamed up with commercial start-up expert, Dr. Mary Ellis to capitalise on this opportunity, initially focusing on novel pheromones unavailable in the marketplace.
The founders bring a unique combination of skill sets in pheromone chemistry, entrepreneurship, regenerative farming, fundraising, and value creation, having a combined 30 years’ experience in creating mission-driven organisations with successful exit opportunities for their investors.
PheroSyn’s Mission
Farming Smarter, Naturally
The team at PheroSyn is Mission-driven to enable more effective pest and pollination control in sustainable agriculture.
Precision Pest Management
We understand that traditional agriculture may require the use of chemical pesticides in some cases. Our mission is to improve the efficacy of pesticide deployment globally.
Efficiency Meets Sustainability
We seek to support nutritional security through sustainable farming efficiencies. Smarter resource use means fewer chemicals, better soil health, and stronger long-term profitability.
Cultivating a Greener Future
Scientists at PheroSyn have been trained in the Principles of Green Chemistry, and have a strong values driven focus on utilising these principles wherever possible.
The Experts Driving Innovation
Meet the Team
Behind every innovation there is a team of passionate scientists, researchers, and agricultural experts. With decades of experience in pest management, chemistry, and sustainable farming, our team is dedicated to creating solutions that empower farmers and protect ecosystems.
Our expertise and commitment to sustainability ensure that we remain at the forefront of agricultural innovation. Together, we are shaping a future where agriculture thrives in harmony with nature.
Management Team

Dr Mary Ellis, MBA
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Mary is an entrepreneur with over 25 years’ experience working hands-on with innovators, entrepreneurs, and scientists in early-stage life science and Agri-Tech companies. She is founder or co-founder of several technology companies, an experienced NED, Board Chair, former CEO of TheraCarb and CSO of Phytome Life Sciences. She was a founding member of Forefront, a technology commercialisation fund established with the Province of Alberta, Canada investing in health and Agri-tech start-ups. Mary acts as an Entrepreneur mentor, which has included for SHAKE Climate Change fund, and has been an exec. and non-executive board member for several for-profit and not-for-profit organisations including Chair, FarmTech Society supporting the Controlled Environment Agriculture sector, and Director of Biotalent Canada, a sector council of the Government of Canada. Her mother and father were pioneers of regenerative farming and the family farm which she now owns with her brothers, is still run as a regenerative agricultural cattle and sheep farm that has not seen chemicals applied to the soil since 1968.

Daniel Bahia
Co-founder and Director of Operations
Daniel started his career as a Synthetic Chemist at Rothamsted Research and is a specialist in sustainable chemical synthesis of insect pheromones. His initial research, alongside his supervisor Dr. David Withall, has formed the basis of the technology being commercialised at PheroSyn. Since the inception of the company, Daniel has learned on the job, transitioning into a key member of the senior management team, leading the operational side of the business. His strong attention to detail, coupled with a solid financial acumen has seen the company through many challenging situations. Daniel is a driven entrepreneur and an outstanding example of how scientists can add so much value to start-ups when they transition into that leading commercial role. His deep technical expertise underpins a broad operational knowledge that allows fluid communication throughout the business units.

Dr Emily Callard-Langdon
Project Manager
With a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Cardiff University, Emily has 10 years’ industrial experience spanning a range of R&D and manufacturing sectors, including agrochemistry, medical diagnostics and process chemistry. Following an illustrious career in the lab, Emily expanded her skill sets to other roles in corporate settings. Her last role as Talent Manager at CatSci coupled with Prince II Project Management training and on the job experience in Project Management has given Emily the executive functioning skills to lead projects with high degree of competency. Emily is organised and focused, working on collaboration and efficiency, ensuring that each initiative is delivered on time and within scope.

Danila Gasperini
Scientist
Leading the R&D efforts to develop new, scalable routes of synthesis for insect pheromones, Danila brings experience in quality systems, SOPs, stability studies, processes and procedures to enhance yields, knowledge of scale-up and commercial focus around product finishing, packaging and handling techniques.

Dr Rajendra Gosain
Scientist
With degrees from Imperial and King’s College London, Rajendra has 26+ years’ experience both in academia and industrial settings in a number of med-chem roles including research and development and scale-up production. These have included roles in Pfizer, Sygnature Discovery and CatSci.

Dr Stephen Mills
Scientist
Steve was the first employed Scientist at PheroSyn, setting up the lab from scratch. His long term commitment and experience at the company complements his academic background with post-doctoral experience at Oxford University and Bath University. He is an experienced mentor and teacher, having supervised students and colleagues at PheroSyn and elsewhere. Steve developed the initial synthetic routes producing novel pheromones that formed the basis of the company.

Dr David Lawrence
Non-Executive Director
David is a former Non-Executive Director at Syngenta, having previously served as Head of R&D from 2002–2009, with earlier roles at ICI and Zeneca. He was key in developing Syngenta Ventures and has extensive board experience, including chairing the UK Knowledge Transfer Network and serving on the BBSRC Industrial Biotechnology Strategy Advisory Panel. He has held leadership roles at Rothamsted Research and Nottingham Synthetic Biology Centre, among others. David holds a Chemistry degree and DPhil from Oxford University. He currently chairs Agrimetrics Ltd, is an Independent Director at Tropic Biosciences and MoA Technology, and advises early-stage agritech start-ups.

Tina Lawton
Non-Executive Director
Tina Lawton has more than 30 years of leadership experience across the global food and agriculture value chain. She served as President of Syngenta Asia Pacific, with full P&L responsibility, where she implemented a growth strategy supported by digital tools to expand market reach, strengthen customer engagement, and improve productivity. At Syngenta and its legacy companies, she also held senior roles in commercial, marketing, and business development, leading global, regional, and country business units. After leaving Syngenta, she joined Ÿnsect as Chief Growth Officer, overseeing R&D, Sales, and Operations worldwide, before pivoting to a portfolio career. Tina is an Operating Director at Paine Schwartz Partners (PSP) and sits on the boards of Advanced Agrilytics (PSP), Kynetec (PSP), Unifrutti (ADQ), and Yara International ASA. She holds BA and MA degrees in Pure and Applied Biology from the University of Oxford, is British, and lives in Switzerland.

Dr Michael Birkett, FRSC
Collaborator and Stakeholder, Non-Executive Director
Mike is a Principal Research Scientist at Rothamsted Research with over 30 years’ expertise in the characterisation, production and practical deployment of insect pheromones and other semiochemicals. He leads strategic research at Rothamsted on chemical ecology-inspired solutions for next-generation pest management. His group provides a core of expertise in biological and organic chemistry, chemical ecology, structural biology, neurobiology and olfaction, microbiomes, plant signalling and biological control.

Dr David Withall, MRSC
Synthetic Chemistry
David is a Senior Research Scientist at Rothamsted Research. Trained as a synthetic chemist / chemical biologist he brings extensive experience in the identification, ecological function and total synthesis of insect pheromones. As an experienced researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the research industry, he is skilled in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Natural Product Chemistry and Innovation. David holds a PhD focused in Chemistry and Life Sciences from University of Warwick, and works with PheroSyn to oversee Health and Safety.

Dr Sonny Ramaswamy
Advisor
Recently retired President of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which accredits institutions in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He served as President Barack Obama’s appointee as director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, following professorial and leadership roles at Oregon State, Purdue, Kansas State, and Mississippi State Universities. His academic research, funded by various United States federal agencies and the private and non-governmental sectors, was on physiological, behavioural, and chemical ecological insect-insect and insect-plant interactions.

Dr Roma Gwynn
Consultant, Biorationale
Roma is a Biopesticides specialist and advisor, board member for IAPPS, and acts as Regulatory Advisor to several start-ups. She is former Vice President of the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA), a worldwide association representing manufacturers of biocontrol products—natural or nature-identical solutions for managing pests and diseases in agriculture, forestry, and public health.

Dr Owen Jones
Technical Advisor, Lisk & Jones Consultants
Owen is a leading expert in sustainable pest management and co-founder of Lisk & Jones Consultants, advising on biological pest control and semiochemical technologies. He played a key role in establishing AgriSense, a pioneer in pheromone-based pest monitoring and control. With a BSc from Bangor University and a PhD from Cambridge, Owen is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and an Honorary Professor at Cardiff University. He served as President of the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) and has led international research projects, bridging academic insight with practical innovation in sustainable agriculture
Our Investment Journey
Growing Sustainable Agriculture
Our mission to revolutionise pest management began with strong research foundations and early-stage grant and venture capital funding. This support allowed us to develop and refine our pheromone-based solutions, demonstrating their potential to reduce pesticide reliance and improve farming efficiency.
As we move beyond our initial funding phase, we are focused on securing strategic investments that will accelerate commercialisation, expand our product portfolio, and scale our impact globally. With a clear path to market and a commitment to sustainable agriculture, we welcome partnerships with investors who share our vision for a greener, more efficient future in farming.
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