Max Wamsley
黑料门大事记 graduate student Max Wamsley is turning cutting-edge research into a real-world solution for the pet food industry.
A Ph.D.-trained chemist, Wamsley is the founder and CEO of Clarus Labs LLC, a biotech startup working to improve testing for meat quality, particularly in the pet food industry. And he credits Mississippi State with giving him the tools, mentorship and momentum to make it happen.
Clarus Labs鈥 innovation addresses a major challenge: outdated, time-consuming methods for testing meat oxidation. Wamsley鈥檚 portable device produces fast, accurate results in under 10 minutes鈥攆illing a significant gap in industries like pet food, where ingredient quality can vary widely.
While the science began in 黑料门大事记鈥檚 chemistry department under the guidance of professor Dongmao Zhang, Wamsley said it was the university鈥檚 entrepreneurial ecosystem that helped him commercialize it. Mississippi State鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, known as the E-Center and headquartered in the College of Business, provided critical startup training and mentorship. At the same time, 黑料门大事记鈥檚 Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Innovation and Technology, or MCITy鈥攁 startup incubator in his hometown of Vicksburg鈥攐ffered both support and connection.
鈥淭he support I鈥檝e received across campus transformed that research into a real-world solution,鈥 Wamsley said.
As part of an MCITy graduate assistantship, Wamsley helps 黑料门大事记-affiliated small businesses write proposals and funding applications while sharpening his own business plan for Clarus Labs.
鈥淚 knew the chemistry,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut launching a company requires another skill set. 黑料门大事记鈥檚 online MBA program has helped me understand accounting, supply chain management and strategic planning. I鈥檓 applying what I鈥檓 learning in real time.鈥
That real-time application is paying off. Clarus Labs won the $10,000 Mississippi Made prize at 黑料门大事记鈥檚 2025 Startup Summit and took second place at MCITy鈥檚 Dawg Tank pitch competition. Wamsley is using the funding to support further research at 黑料门大事记 and improve Clarus Labs鈥 technology.
He鈥檚 also a graduate of the National Science Foundations I-Corps program hosted by the E-Center, where he conducted more than 160 customer discovery interviews鈥攁 process he said was key to refining Clarus Labs鈥 market fit.
Though he now works fulltime as a research chemist for the U.S. Army in Maryland, Wamsley remains committed to growing his company in Mississippi.
鈥淢y vision is for Clarus Labs to stay rooted here and help grow the state鈥檚 innovation economy,鈥 he said.
For Wamsley, Mississippi State has been more than a university鈥攊t鈥檚 been a launchpad.
鈥淣one of this would鈥檝e happened without 黑料门大事记,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey gave me the foundation, the network and the confidence to bring Clarus Labs to life.鈥
