Innovators at Work

Our team of brilliant minds is on a mission to transform the extraction and processing of critical metals and minerals, paving the way for a more sustainable supply chain and a greener future.

  • Portrait of Elesha Hoffarth, Ph.D., Research & Development Manager at Tersa Earth, expert in enzyme chemistry and synthetic biology.

    Elesha Hoffarth, Ph.D.

    Research & Development Manager

    Elesha has been a part of the Tersa team since January 2022 and has built the synthetic biology program at the company. She received a PhD in Chemistry from UBC while studying enzyme chemistry and natural product biosynthesis in bacteria. In addition to her academic achievements, Elesha has extensive experience teaching, mentoring peers, participating in planning committees and student government, and organizing seminars. Now, she is fascinated by the challenging chemical problems that Tersa solves.

  • Portrait of Jordan Wright, Bioprocess Engineer at Tersa Earth, focused on microbial fuel cells and renewable energy solutions.

    Jordan Wright

    Bioprocess Engineer

    Jordan was Tersa’s second technical hire in October 2021. His work with the microbial fuel cell team has significantly advanced the technology, fundamentally reshaping how the TersaClean process is understood. His technical interests include bioprocess engineering, bioelectrochemistry, catalytic surface modifications, and renewable energy. His startup experience at Hyasynth Bio and time at Thermo Fisher Scientific built strong foundations for Tersa’s innovative work.

  • Portrait of Protiva Roy, Ph.D., Electrochemical Process Engineer advancing microbial fuel cells for metal recovery.

    Protiva Roy, Ph.D.

    Electrochemical Process Engineer

    Protiva joined Tersa in April 2022 and focuses on improving microbial fuel cell performance for better metal recovery. During her PhD at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, she developed electrochemical biosensors and worked on pathogen detection, peptide synthesis, and other biomedical applications. She brings deep expertise in sensor development and electrochemistry to the team.

  • A young man in a black suit and purple tie standing in front of a flower wall with roses, at a university alumni event.

    Nikhil Pradhan

    Research Associate

    Nikhil is the research associate for the MFC department and joined the Tersa Earth team in July 2024. His work at Tersa focuses on improving the performance of the MFC, through electrode modifications and optimizations to the MFC run conditions. Nikhil graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology as well as a minor in Nanoscience. He furthered his education with a Masters in Biochemistry that focused on the bacterial synthesis of nanomaterial such as cadmium selenide quantum dots, silver, selenium and tellurium nanomaterial.

  • Silhouette of a person icon with a circular head and rounded shoulders

    Hansel Van Anggumelia

    Research Associate

    Hansel is a Biotechnology graduate from the University of British Columbia, where he earned his degree with High Distinction. He brings experience through prior work in the green technology sector, and is passionate about leveraging biology to solve environmental challenges. At Tersa, Hansel supports R&D efforts in microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) for mine remediation.