Executive Suite: Michael Egholm

You can't make computer chips without filtering away the dust, or biopharmaceutical drugs without separating away the bacteria. At Pall Corp., which makes filtration, separation and purification devices for things ranging from airplanes to wastewater, chief technology officer Michael Egholm transforms scientific theory into products.

Egholm, 48, gained notice early on as a graduate student in Denmark, where he helped invent PNA. Similar to DNA, it is used to diagnose life-threatening infections that might otherwise go unrecognized. He also worked on the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome and the first individual human genome. At Pall, in Port Washington, he's responsible for an uptick in inventions. One day, some might be used to rebuild blood vessels.