Phil Taylor, Ph.D.

Open Innovation Lead
Bayer Crop Science

With 15 years AgTech experience, Phil currently serves as the Open Innovation Lead for Crop Science R&D at Bayer, based in St. Louis, MO. He plays a central role in fostering strategic relationships around the globe and developing programs to enable novel ways of accelerating innovation to support Bayer’s R&D pipeline.
A strong champion for both external and pre-competitive partnering as a driving force for innovation and change, Phil has held multiple leadership roles at Bayer focused on delivering collaborative approaches to enable R&D and enhance the company’s position as a thought leader in open innovation and partnering.

He was appointed a Bayer Science Fellow in 2020.

Before joining industry, Phil received his Ph.D. from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, U.K., and held post-doctoral positions at The University of Leeds and The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, as well as a British Council Fellowship at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Outside of Bayer, Phil is active in the academic community as a member of multiple advisory boards and professional society committees.