Howard is a PhD scientist with over 25 years of professional experience in the biotechnology field with emphasis in Microbiology, Agriculture and Immunology. He is an author on 24 peer-reviewed publications and an inventor on 70 US patents. Howard received his PhD from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where he worked on the structure and enzymology of bacterial cellulases. He trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at both Agriculture Canada in Vancouver, where he worked on plant viruses, and at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, where he worked on plant defense mechanisms.

Howard joined DuPont Central Research & Development, Wilmington, DE, where he led the team elucidating biochemical pathways of plant secondary metabolites involved in defense. He then transitioned to Pioneer, a wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont, where he identified genes involved in lipid biosynthesis and used metabolic engineering to produce novel oils in soybean. He later joined Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories (JIR) where he worked as Senior Scientist and VP of R&D. At JIR, he managed the scientific and technical direction of the company, led the Technical Service team and directed the design, development and launch of new products.

Howard has worked as an independent plant metabolic engineering consultant to several companies in the agricultural biotechnology and plant-derived meat-alternative food industries. He is currently the Founder and Sole Proprietor of Cedar Coast Consulting. Howard lives with his wife, Julie, on Vancouver Island in BC, Canada.