Adam J. Mellott, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ronawk, where he leads the company’s scientific vision, platform strategy, and long-term growth. Trained as a bioengineer and regenerative medicine scientist, Dr. Mellott brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise, translational research experience, and entrepreneurial leadership to the development of next-generation biomanufacturing infrastructure.
Dr. Mellott founded Ronawk to address a fundamental limitation in modern biology: the disconnect between how cells behave in the human body and how they are traditionally studied and manufactured. Under his leadership, Ronawk has developed the Bio-OS platform, a modular, tissue-mimetic system designed to support biologically aligned cell expansion, tissue assembly, and biologics production across research, preclinical, and commercial applications. Since inception, he has guided the company from early invention through product launch, revenue generation, and capital formation, raising over $10 million in equity and grant funding and generating nearly $5 million in revenue.
Prior to and alongside Ronawk, Dr. Mellott held academic appointments at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he built and led a basic research program within the Department of Plastic Surgery focused on tissue engineering, wound healing, and regenerative biology. In this role, he secured competitive research funding, published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, mentored medical residents, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, and bridged clinical and laboratory research. His academic work laid much of the scientific foundation that later translated into Ronawk’s core technologies.
Dr. Mellott is an inventor on numerous issued and pending patents spanning biomaterials, cell culture systems, and biologics production methods. He is also a prolific author and speaker, with a publication record covering tissue engineering, stem cell biology, wound healing, and non-viral cellular reprogramming. His work has been recognized through multiple industry and academic honors, including regional and national innovation awards and invitations to speak internationally.
Beyond Ronawk, Dr. Mellott is actively engaged in the broader biotechnology ecosystem, serving on professional society boards, contributing to national conversations on emerging biotechnology, and supporting workforce development and scientific training initiatives. As CEO, he is known for building collaborative, inclusive teams and for maintaining a disciplined balance between scientific ambition and operational execution.
Dr. Mellott’s leadership is defined by a long-term vision: building durable biological infrastructure that enables discovery, accelerates translation, and allows biology to operate as it was meant to. At Ronawk, he continues to guide the company as it scales from a technology innovator into a foundational platform for the future of biomanufacturing.
