Dr. Zara Summers
Dr. Zara Summers serves as Chief Strategy Officer at LanzaTech, where she leads the company’s efforts to drive commercial growth, secure strategic investments, and unlock new value through business innovation. She spearheads initiatives to align market strategy with evolving global conditions and market demand. Previously, Zara served as LanzaTech’s Chief Science Officer, where she led the company’s Science team across the full R&D pipeline, from initiating new projects with commercial partners and securing government funding, to deploying and supporting LanzaTech’s technology at six commercial plants worldwide. Before joining LanzaTech, Zara spent a decade at ExxonMobil in scientific and leadership roles focused on advancing biological solutions for the energy transition. Throughout her career, she has been driven by a passion for enhancing economic, environmental, and climate stability through innovation and collaboration.
Zara holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts and completed her postdoctoral work at the University of Minnesota.