Tess Eidem, PhD, Senior Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder | Photo courtesy of Tess Eidem
Can you tell us about your background in microbiology and how you got involved in the cannabis industry?
Tess Eidem: Yeah, so most of my research early in my scientific career, was developing new antibiotics against bacterial pathogens. So, that involved a lot of working with medicinal chemists and improving small molecule inhibitors and trying to understand how these new potential antibiotics worked to actually kill bacteria selectively and not hurt human cells or other mammalian cells. So, that was my work early on. I’m also a molecular biologist, so I do a lot of RNA, which, if anyone knows the central dogma of biology, you start with DNA, that’s made into RNA, and then that’s made into protein. And your proteins are really functional, but RNA is also super duper cool. And so I did a lot of work just studying functional RNAs and small non-coding RNAs. And I was a professor for a little while, and then I sort of found myself in the cannabis space, and that’s where initially I was doing much more chemistry heavy work and in purification, processing, and then Food Science formulation, because I do have a little bit of background there too. And then we started selling flower in New York State, and we had some of the strictest microbial rules in the country at the time, and so my microbiology skills came back to basically build an in-house micro lab so we could test our flower and to build an environmental monitoring program so we could look for key areas and sources of microbial contaminants. So, I brought that into the space, and I’ve been continuing to work on like the microbiology in these indoor cannabis operations, both in on surfaces associated with the plant and in the air. And our group here at CU Boulder (University of Colorado Boulder) just wrote, in collaboration with Colorado State up in Fort Collins, we wrote a review article on some of the bio aerosols, or those biologically derived particulate matter that’s floating around in cannabis facilities. So, we’re still bringing microbiology into the forefront here.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in the cannabis industry? As a burgeoning industry, is the cannabis space a more inclusive/diverse environment compared to other industries?
Eidem: So, I mean, I’ve definitely met other women in the cannabis industry. Most of them are pretty freaking awesome. I haven’t met a lot of women in leadership positions. That’s something that I’ve definitely noticed. And I mean, even in sciences, you will see that there’s, especially in the biological sciences, you’ll see similar rates of both men and women who get advanced degrees. But as you move higher up into more leadership roles, there’s kind of an attrition of women. There’s not as many women in higher decision-making positions or higher positions of power in academia. But it’s definitely a lot worse in the cannabis space, in my experience, where there are very few women who own and operate companies or who really have a seat at the table in some of these entities such as, manufacturing. They’re in the sciences, like as far as regulators and third-party testing labs, there are more women there, but I often don’t see that they’re kind of those decision makers in those positions. I would say the cannabis space is not more diverse or inclusive than other types of environments that I’ve been in. I’ve definitely noticed that they’re not very inclusive.
How has a lack of gender diversity negatively impacted microbiology in the cannabis industry?
Eidem: I’ve definitely noticed that the lack of diversity, it just prevents more ideas from coming in. So not only are there fewer females, bringing in their experiences and their unique point of view, and other people of color and disabled folks, they usually don’t have a seat at the table, but also just the scientific process is not really understood, or even bringing in parallels from other industries, like other manufacturing industries, bringing in good practices from that, that is just not really adopted. So, the decision makers in a lot of these organizations, it’s not just necessarily like being, you know, having more women or having more people of color, diversity. It’s really the different mindsets I see as being very limited and very narrow scoped in the cannabis space, it’s very profit driven, which I understand, you have to make money to keep these operations open, but it’s done in a way that I think is, like I said before, not very inclusive to not only other people due to their gender or other identities, but just to ideas. It’s very closed off to different types of ideas and having an open mind and there’s kind of this one track that many people in power in the industry, in the cannabis space, they kind of adopt that mindset.
From your perspective, how has gender inclusivity positively impacted the industry?
Eidem: From a gender inclusivity point of view, I think that women bring a unique perspective and other non-binary people, they may have different ways of operating a company and different priorities, and they may be thinking about women’s health more often than men do. Which I mean, cannabis is a medicine to many people, and it can be used for pain relief that is specific to women, or at least people who have, you know, a uterus, which every month, you get to experience that. So, I think that the bringing in a female or non-binary point of view, or even trans point of view, to this can really help, not only in the operations of the company, but the applications of the products that you’re going to produce. Then, from a health and protecting consumers point of view, I just think that that women are kind of stereotyped more as caretakers than men are, although I don’t know if that’s necessarily always fair, but I think that women do care a lot about the safety and the health of the products that they are consuming, and are willing to push a little bit more to make sure that the products that they have from these cannabis manufacturers are safe. I think letting them have again, a seat at the table in these kinds of situations can bring those points of view to the cannabis space that might not always be there in this male-dominated industry.
Have you experienced any discrimination?
Eidem: Yeah, I would say pretty regularly in the cannabis space, whether it’s just kind of microaggressions or blowing you off because you’re a woman, you don’t necessarily command the same authority as a man would, the space is somewhat dominated by sort of your bro, stereotypical guy and so I kind of divert from that in a lot of different ways. I’ve also experienced sexual harassment in the space. Some from really benign to some that are quite concerning. So, it’s something that I think being in the minority like so, for example, you know, when I would go into a grow facility, some facilities are pretty diverse, and you see a lot of different types of people, a lot of different genders represented, but some it’s just like all guys there. So, when a woman walks into the facility, you’ll see everybody be like, is that a girl? Like, yes, it is a girl and that’s fine. I think it is different, you know, in some of these spaces, but I really hope that these spaces can open up more to women, and it’s not such a shock when a woman walks into the facility, or it’s not such a shock when a woman makes an assertive statement with data backing up her statement that the men in the room listen. I have a PhD, and I have a commanding voice, and I don’t back down when it comes to the science, and I’m tall and so, I think all of those things sort of give me an advantage over maybe more mild-mannered women or people who don’t have advanced degrees. They may not be taken as seriously, and I don’t agree with that, but it does happen in the space, and it’s happened to me, and I know it’s happened to many other women.
What advice do you have for other female scientists looking to either enter or advance in the space?
Eidem: I think for women who have a scientific background and want to really advance in the scientific community in cannabis, really know who you’re working with, build relationships with folks so that you know you’re going into a healthy work environment with people who are going to support you. Be great if other women are there and represented, but just because other women are there does not mean it’s a safe place for women. Just know who you’re engaging with, know who you’re working with, and those relationships will help you advance in the cannabis space. Unfortunately, many scientific skills are not really given the value that they deserve. The industry just hasn’t quite matured to that point yet, and so those relationships you’ll really have to rely on in order to advance your career.
About the Interviewee
Tess Eidem’s doctoral research focused on developing novel antibiotics against bacterial pathogens, and her scientific career has centered on bringing modern microbiology and RNA biology practices to promote human health. Leveraging her scientific expertise, Dr. Eidem transitioned into the cannabis industry where she spent four years working directly in cannabis production and quality management. This unique experience allowed her to combine her hands-on skills in manufacturing with microbiology and product safety as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) to help cannabis cultivators minimize potential hazards within their facilities and in their products.
Having witnessed firsthand the challenges of microbial contamination in the cannabis industry, Dr. Eidem returned to the University of Colorado Boulder, where she currently works as a Senior Research Scientist in the Aerobiology and Disinfection Laboratory, with a focus on practical building science. Her research investigates bioaerosol persistence associated with cannabis environments, including airborne molds, allergens, and pathogens. She is driven to connect unbiased scientific research with environmental engineering principles and applying them to the cannabis space to improve worker well-being, plant health, and consumer safety.
Cannabis Science and Technology sat down with Tess Eidem, PhD, PCQI, member of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to discuss her journey from antibiotic research to cannabis microbiology and her observations throughout her career. Dr. Eidem highlights challenges women face in this male-dominated industry, including limited representation in leadership roles and frequent experiences of bias and discrimination. She emphasizes the importance of gender diversity in fostering innovation, improving product safety, and addressing women’s health needs in cannabis applications. Her advice to women scientists is to build strong professional relationships and carefully evaluate work environments to advance their careers in this evolving and often challenging space. Read More
