Expert Details
Biotechnology
ID: 738248
California, USA
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2018 | Degree: Ph.D. | Subject: Biophysics | Institution: UC-Berkeley |
| Year: 2012 | Degree: B.S. | Subject: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Institution: Marquette University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2022 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Independent Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Assist startups in the biotechnology sector to bring technology to market by working in early innovation, product development, technical feasibility, and work plan development. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2018 to 2021 | Employer: Zymergen, Inc. | Title: Technical Team Lead | Department: Enzymology |
Responsibilities:- Led a small team of scientists and research associates to discover novel plastic-degrading microbes and enzymes; subsequently led a small discovery program aimed at upcycling polyethylene to a variety of products.- Assumed primary responsibility for client relationship with Sumitomo Chemical, participated in contract negotiations, and led joint steering committee meetings to ensure advancement through program phases. - Secured internal funding for program continuity after external contracts were complete. - Co-wrote federal grant applications, assembled pitch decks, and led conversations with prospective clients. - Demonstrated cross-functional leadership in settings requiring input from scientific, executive, businessdevelopment, legal, quality, and marketing teams. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2018 to 2019 | Employer: Zymergen, Inc. | Title: Scientist I | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Scoped and helped pitch a successful enzyme engineering contract with a top global agricultural producer and served as technical SME in business development calls with dozens of clients (many Fortune 50 and 500).- Designed a novel, high-throughput assay for automated target screening in large libraries of microbial strains. - Presented data at client calls and visits, and took initiative to reach out to and collaborate with our partner’s technical team, which was recognized by a founder-executive as being crucial to project success. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2016 to 2018 | Employer: | Title: Science Education Team Leader and Outreach Volunteer | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Organized a team of graduate students with the Bay Area Scientists In Schools (BASIS) program.- Engaged 4th/5th-graders in a monthly lecture and experiment on microbial cellular respiration. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2016 to 2018 | Employer: Biophysics Graduate Group | Title: Diversity Recruitment Liaison | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Initiated and implemented an annual recruiting event to promote gender balance within the program. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2016 to 2017 | Employer: UC- Berkeley Graduate Assembly | Title: Biophysics Delegate | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Represented the Biophysics Graduate Group as a voting member at monthly meetings.- Authored resolutions and advocated for constituents on funding and campus issues. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2013 to 2018 | Employer: University of California - Berkeley | Title: Graduate Research Assistant | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Investigated mechanism of cellulose degradation by polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs) via biochemical, spectroscopic, and structural methods.- Discovered and characterized new PMO families from fungi with novel substrates and physiological roles. - Pursued productive collaborations with PMO team members and with experts in other laboratories, the Glass Lab (Neurospora crassa biology at UC–Berkeley) in particular. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2012 to 2013 | Employer: Concordia University Wisconsin, School of Pharmacy | Title: Research Technician | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Designed assays and high-throughput screens using liquid handling for multiple drug targets, dual-specificity phosphatase-5 (DUSP-5) and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis thioredoxin system. Identified hit compounds.- Mentored three undergraduates and set up crystal growth facilities at Concordia. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2011 to 2011 | Employer: Marquette University | Title: Scientific Art and Animation Intern | Department: Department of Chemistry |
Responsibilities:- Collaborated with The Scripps Research Institute on an illustration of cellular growth factor signaling.- Created molecular animations of protein-ligand binding events for classroom use. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2009 to 2012 | Employer: Marquette University | Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant | Department: Department of Biological Sciences |
Responsibilities:- Engineered a high-throughput screen to identify small molecule effectors of pyruvate carboxylase.- Probed mechanism of mandelate racemase via X-ray structural studies of various ligand-bound forms |
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Career Accomplishments
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| - Finalist, McKnight Prize in Biophysics/Computational Biology – UT-Southwestern, Biochemistry - Barry M. Goldwater Scholar |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Selected Conference Presentations: 2 Patents: 2 Publications: 10 |