Dr. Colleen McMahan is a Research Chemist and Lead Scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Albany, California. She completed her undergraduate Chemistry and M. S. Polymer Science degrees at The University of Akron, Ohio, and her Doctorat in Physical Chemistry at l’Université de Haute-Alsace in Mulhouse, France, under Prof. Jean-Baptiste Donnet. At the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, she worked in rubber compound science and later management of Physical Test Laboratories in support of tire compound development. At Advanced Elastomer Systems, L.P., an ExxonMobil company, Colleen led global product development of thermoplastic elastomers. Since joining ARS her research interests include bio-based rubber, and the new and established crop plants that produce rubber, with emphasis on the biochemistry and molecular biology of rubber biosynthesis. More recent research is addressing the challenge of 100% biobased rubber compound formulations.