Our Founder
Turning Biological Complexity Into Investment Clarity
Bridging science, business, and geography in agricultural biologicals.
"After 17+ years isolating nitrogen-fixing bacteria, running field trials across three continents, and navigating regulatory submissions in four countries, I built Quadros Bio Inc. because I kept watching good science fail for the wrong reasons."
Dr. Patricia Dörr de Quadros, Founder & CEO
Dr. Patricia Dörr de Quadros is a Brazilian-Canadian soil microbiologist, entrepreneur, and the founder of Quadros Bio Inc., a science-first risk intelligence company purpose-built for the agricultural biologicals investment ecosystem.
After 17+ years of academic research, field trials, and direct commercial experience at three biological input startups, with real successes and hard-learned failures, she built QBIView™: a proprietary risk intelligence platform that brings scientific rigour to investment due diligence in agricultural biologicals. It tells you exactly what the pitch deck doesn't.
Patricia holds a PhD in soil microbiology and has published 38+ peer-reviewed articles with over 2,200 academic citations. She has navigated regulatory approvals across CFIA, EPA/USDA, ECOCERT, and Brazilian SISGEN, and has personally led the formulation, validation, and commercial launch of biological inoculants in North American markets.
Born and trained in Brazil, she brings something no other advisory firm in North America offers: direct, active relationships with Embrapa and Brazil's federal university research networks, giving clients early visibility into Brazilian biological innovation before it reaches North American radar.
Why Quadros Bio Exists
"The agricultural biologicals market holds extraordinary promise. But promise, without rigorous independent evaluation, has too often become a liability. Lost capital. Eroded trust. Products that reached fields before anyone asked the hard questions. Quadros Bio exists because those questions deserve answers before the capital moves, not after."
Dr. Patricia Dörr de Quadros, Founder & CEO
What Sets Us Apart
Why Quadros Bio Is Different
Scientific Depth
PhD-level expertise in soil microbiology, plant-microbe interactions, and biological input development. Not borrowed from literature, built from the lab up.
Commercial Reality
Hands-on experience with what actually works (and fails) in real agricultural settings across Brazil, the US, and Canada.
Cross-Border Intelligence
Active research relationships with Embrapa and Brazilian federal universities give clients early access to a deep, productive biologicals pipeline.
Regulatory Knowledge
Practical, direct experience with CFIA, EPA, USDA, and Brazilian MAPA regulatory pathways. Not theoretical, not outsourced.
Experience Highlights
Eight angles on the same expertise.
- →Articling Agrologist and active member of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists
- →PhD-level expertise in soil microbiology and plant-microbe-environment interactions
- →Native Brazilian with direct access to Embrapa researchers and Brazilian federal university innovation networks
- →Navigated complex challenges from initial R&D to full commercialization across three separate biotech startups
- →Directly led the formulation, validation, and commercial launch of high-performing inoculants including En-Turf and En-Fix
- →Specialist in plant growth promoting bacteria, from isolation to biochemical characterization and genomic analysis
- →Deep, hands-on experience securing CFIA, EPA/USDA, ECOCERT, and Brazilian SISGEN approvals
- →Integrates custom machine learning algorithms with environmental and microbiome data for performance prediction
Track Record
Specific work, named funders, real field outcomes.
References are available upon request to qualified prospects.
Prior R&D Leadership · 2022–2025
Earth Microbial Canada
Before founding Quadros Bio Inc., Dr. de Quadros served as Head of Science of Earth Microbial Canada, a biological input company developing PGPR-based inoculants for agriculture and controlled-environment production. The following applied R&D projects were designed, executed, and delivered under her direct scientific leadership.
Turfgrass Inoculant Development · En-Turf
Designed, tested, and validated a microbial inoculant specifically for turfgrass of golf courses. Formulation was refined through multiple iteration cycles and positioned for commercial launch under the Earth Microbial product brand.
Regulatory Experience
CFIA, EPA, USDA, MAPA, SisGen, ECOCERT.
Understanding the regulatory landscape for biological inputs is a core component of every Quadros Bio Inc. assessment.
- CFIA and U.S. EPA/USDA frameworks: Fertilizer and supplement registration under the Fertilizers Act, including Schedule II biological inputs.
- Regulatory documentation preparation: Literature review, biosafety requirements, statistical analysis, efficacy test document production.
- ECOCERT certification: Hands-on experience securing organic certification for commercial microbial products.
- Brazilian MAPA and SisGen: Direct familiarity with the Brazilian inoculant registration system, enabling realistic assessment of Brazilian technology for North American market entry.
Quadros Bio Inc. is an active advocate for regulatory reform in Canadian biological input approval processes, working to reduce unnecessary barriers that slow commercially viable innovations from reaching farmers.
Academic Research Leadership · 2017–2022
University of Toronto Scarborough
As a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Dr. de Quadros led a programme of industry-funded (Weston Foundation) applied research at the intersection of microbial ecology, food science, and controlled-environment agriculture. This work produced peer-reviewed publications, industry partnerships, and foundational IP in microbial inoculant technology.
Altering Plant Microbiome for Flavour and Nutrition · George Weston Challenge · Seeding Food Innovation
Led a four-phase, $245,000 industry-funded research programme in partnership with George Weston Ltd. and Loblaws, investigating whether targeted microbial inoculants could improve the flavour, aroma, and nutritional quality of hydroponically grown crops. The programme involved screening of 12+ bacterial strains and consortia across basil, mint, and bell pepper; full genomic sequencing and biosynthetic gene cluster analysis of top-performing strains; GC-MS flavour compound profiling; total polyphenol quantification; and multi-phase formulation development including liquid, gel, powder, and seed coating formats. Statistically significant improvements were documented in chlorophyll content, root and aerial biomass, and key flavour molecules including eugenol, eucalyptol, and cedrelanol. The programme concluded with a patent application milestone and established the scientific basis for commercializing endophyte-based inoculants in controlled-environment agriculture.
Teaching & Academic Leadership
Lecturer · UofT Scarborough · University of Waterloo · UFRGS
Dr. de Quadros has held teaching appointments at three universities across Brazil and Canada, developing and delivering graduate and undergraduate courses in microbial ecology, environmental microbiology, soil biochemistry, and genetics of microorganisms.
At the University of Toronto Scarborough (2020–2022), Dr. de Quadros developed and taught Environmental Microbiology (EESC 30H3, undergraduate) and Microorganisms and the Environment (EES1104, graduate), including full syllabus development, lab manual authorship, and transition to inclusive online delivery during COVID-19. Both courses received outstanding student evaluations. At the University of Waterloo (2022), she taught Genetics of Microorganisms (BIOL 431), a senior undergraduate course integrating microbial genomics and functional ecology.
Earlier, as Collaborator Professor at UFRGS (2013–2016), she led curriculum development and laboratory design for courses in Microbiology, Industrial and Public Waste Treatment, and Soil Biochemistry, and supervised graduate students. She also delivered a 160-hour no-tillage transition training programme for farmers in Angola (Huambo and Kwanza Sul provinces), combining soil restoration science with practical field implementation. This breadth of teaching, from Brazilian universities to Canadian graduate programmes to African field extension, reflects the same applied, cross-contextual scientific thinking that underpins every Quadros Bio Inc. engagement.
Scientific Foundations · 2011–2020
PhD Research & Postdoctoral Work
Soil, plant, and airborne microbiomes · Recuperation of degraded soils
The scientific credibility behind every Quadros Bio Inc. assessment is grounded in over a decade of original research across soil science, microbial ecology, nitrogen fixation, and bioremediation, conducted across universities in Brazil, the United States, and Canada. During that period, Dr. de Quadros crafted worldwide partnerships (Rothamsted Research Institute / England; University of Switzerland; Everglades Research and Education Center / University of Florida) that brought geographical and cultural discernment. Working with multidisciplinary teams, she produced more than 38 peer-reviewed publications with 2,200+ citations.
Dr. de Quadros completed her PhD in Soil Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil (2009–2013), with a visiting PhD period at the University of Florida (2011–2013). Her doctoral research investigated biological nitrogen fixation by Azospirillum spp. in tropical no-tillage maize systems, the influence of legume cover crops on soil microbial diversity and fertility, and the ecology of soil microbial communities under petroleum hydrocarbon contamination and bioremediation strategies. This work established her command of the full soil-plant-microbe-environment system, from molecular community analysis to field-scale agronomic outcomes.
A subsequent postdoctoral fellowship at UFRGS (2013–2016) extended this work into coal mining impacts on soil microbial biomass and diversity, oily sludge biostimulation in landfarming systems, and microbial fuel biodeterioration, producing a series of highly cited publications in Applied Soil Ecology, International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, and Frontiers in Microbiology. This foundational body of work directly informs Quadros Bio Inc.'s approach to evaluating the scientific validity of biological product claims.
Urban agriculture · Soil science · Carbon measurement · Grant strategy · Toronto
Evergreen Brick Works
Through a formal partnership with Evergreen Brick Works, Dr. Quadros serves as scientific advisor for the Centre for Better Public Spaces, contributing expertise in urban agriculture, soil science, carbon measurement, and grant strategy.
Soil science · Regenerative agriculture · Sub-Saharan Africa
Terra do Futuro / Angola: Regenerative Agriculture in African Soils (2013)
Scientific lead on a field programme evaluating no-tillage strategies for the recuperation of degraded agricultural land. Work included teaching students and farmers on Soil Genesis and Soil Biological, Chemical, and Mechanical Quality through theoretical and practical classes, 8 hours per day for one month.
Looking for experience relevant to your specific situation? We're happy to discuss past engagements in more detail under NDA.
Confidential by default. Not sold. Not published. Not shared without permission.
Ready to talk?
Make better biologicals decisions before the risk is already priced in.
Schedule a 20-minute consultation to discuss your specific situation and how Quadros Bio Inc. can help you evaluate, structure, and de-risk your next decision.