Mikel is the Senior Communications Officer at CCST, where he devises and executes CCST’s external communications plan, provides support to CCST projects, and collaborates on internal communications. Working closely with the Senior Advisor, Executive Director, Deputy Director, Director of Science Services, and Director of Philanthropy, Mikel provides support on the facilitation of science advice, distribution of public information and marketing, and stakeholder engagement.
Previously he was a CCST Program Associate and CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellow appointed to the California State Senate on the Transportation and Housing Committee, which analyzes legislation covering policy areas from essential infrastructure needs to autonomous vehicles and affordable housing.
Mikel received his PhD in Plant Biology from UC Berkeley, where he studied the molecular mechanisms of cassava bacterial blight, a disease of agricultural significance in the tropics. He completed his BA in Biological Chemistry and in Russian at Grinnell College in Iowa.