David A. Mills is a Professor in the Department of Food Science & Technology at the UC Davis. Dr. Mills studies the molecular biology and ecology of bacteria that play an active role in gut health or fermented foods. He is the Peter J. Shields Endowed Chair (2012), a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology (2015), and has been named a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics since 2018. He is also a co-founder of three start ups; Evolve Biosystems, BCD Bioscience, and Matrubials.