Investor Relations

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Metabolix Inc. announced today that it has named Dr. James J. Barber as President and Chief Executive Officer. Barber joins Metabolix from Albemarle Corporation, where he served as Global Business Director for Organometallics and Catalysts, with global P&L responsibility for this $100+ million business. During his tenure with Albemarle, he led the development and implementation of strategies that resulted in the strong growth of Albemarle's polymer catalyst business, including its emerging metallocenes business, and built a world scale, industry-leading organization.

Prior to his position with Albemarle, Barber served as Director, Business Development with Ethyl Corporation, as President of Geltech, Inc., a venture capital backed company focussed in the area of precision molded microoptics, and as Chief Operating Officer of Hyperion Catalysis International, a development stage company producing carbon nanomaterials.

Ed Muller, Metabolix's Chairman, noted: "Dr. Barber brings an outstanding combination of global commercial experience, business development, and new product commercialization to Metabolix. His experience in both Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial environments are ideally suited to Metabolix's needs, and his intimate familiarity with the development of single site polymers is highly relevant to Metabolix's goal of commercializing a new family of polymers."

Metabolix Inc. is using advanced biotechnology to develop and sustainably produce environmentally friendly plastics and coatings, and to provide a new basis for chemical production from agricultural sources.