EP 7: From Rural Alaska to Leading a Biotech Startup with Liz Dennett of Cemvita Factory

Liz Dennett, Chief Technology Officer at Cemvita Inc., shares her journey from growing up in rural Alaska to leading innovative biosolutions for a carbon-neutral future. Liz discusses how her upbringing shaped her creative approach to problem-solving and innovation, emphasizing the importance of unstructured time and self-taught skills. The conversation delves into her work at Cemvita, where she pioneers the use of microbes for sustainable solutions in the oil and gas sector, and her vision for practical and economically viable energy transitions driven by tech startups.Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io00:00 - Intro00:33 - Growing up in rural Alaska02:07 - Liz’s career journey03:15 - Learning technology: early vs late05:29 - Defining problems in energy solutions07:12 - Talent in the energy industry11:13 - Entering the tech field17:51 - Coding experience in education20:25 - Energy Tech Stack overview22:16 - Best practices in technology24:30 - Understanding microservices28:15 - Open source vs service models33:48 - Real-time data capture techniques35:37 - Career progression in tech leadership39:35 - Empathetic architecture in design43:35 - Microbiome data analysis48:05 - Exploring Gold Hydrogen technology50:30 - Technology stack insights56:05 - Advice for new energy professionals57:27 - Favorite database technologies59:14 - Favorite open source tools01:01:33 - Security in technology01:03:26 - Favorite board games01:03:55 - Cutting-edge technology trendshttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters