Michael Azuma Email & Phone Number

Milwaukee, Wi, Us

• Delivered customer-centric solutions in the form of dashboards, risk mitigation strategies, visual tools, etc. thereby retaining a $1.5 million client partnership for the organization. • Reduced project TATs by 85% from an average of 185 days to 29 days by end of 1st year of employment. • Managed highly-complex, large-scale customer programs involving multiple products with sensitive timelines (IND Filings) and served as liaison between LAB Operations, Business Development, Quality… Show more • Delivered customer-centric solutions in the form of dashboards, risk mitigation strategies, visual tools, etc. thereby retaining a $1.5 million client partnership for the organization. • Reduced project TATs by 85% from an average of 185 days to 29 days by end of 1st year of employment. • Managed highly-complex, large-scale customer programs involving multiple products with sensitive timelines (IND Filings) and served as liaison between LAB Operations, Business Development, Quality, and other support groups. • Curated high-level summary reports to Senior Management to help facilitate the decision-making process through collecting and analyzing data using data analysis tools such as; PowerBI, Spotfire, PMIS, etc. Show less

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

• Led a cross-departmental effort (Materials Management, Release and Stability, Formulation, QA) to streamline a client’s internal processes for raw materials release, resulting in a 32.6 % reduction in turnaround times (71 to 48 days). • Oversaw the testing and release of raw materials for cGMP manufacturing/production with 15+ projects spread across 3 contract testing laboratories (CTLs) using metric tracking software such as Asana and Airtable.• Cultivated relationships with… Show more • Led a cross-departmental effort (Materials Management, Release and Stability, Formulation, QA) to streamline a client’s internal processes for raw materials release, resulting in a 32.6 % reduction in turnaround times (71 to 48 days). • Oversaw the testing and release of raw materials for cGMP manufacturing/production with 15+ projects spread across 3 contract testing laboratories (CTLs) using metric tracking software such as Asana and Airtable.• Cultivated relationships with third-party contract testing laboratories (CTLs) to ensure timely release of raw material COAs against aggressive manufacturing timelines. Show less

Boston, Massachusetts

• Guided R&D, Engineering, and Management in continuous improvement initiatives by streamlining Quality-by-Design internal processes to achieve robust regulatory new drug application filings. • Spearheaded the installation of new process safety equipment, process safety evaluation of new chemical syntheses, and research timelines using MS Planner, MS Teams, and SharePoint.• Co-authored a publication regarding a novel approach to assess the potential explosivity of materials early on in… Show more • Guided R&D, Engineering, and Management in continuous improvement initiatives by streamlining Quality-by-Design internal processes to achieve robust regulatory new drug application filings. • Spearheaded the installation of new process safety equipment, process safety evaluation of new chemical syntheses, and research timelines using MS Planner, MS Teams, and SharePoint.• Co-authored a publication regarding a novel approach to assess the potential explosivity of materials early on in pharmaceutical development that has garnered over 4.000 article views.• Created posters and easy-to-read handouts to convey the importance of process safety and alleviate confusion amongst R&D and Manufacturing as to when to reach out. Show less

Greater Boston Area

• Identified KPIs in a novel technology involving copper carbon nanotubes and optimized robustness of experimental methods to sufficiently evaluate performance, demonstrating a >30 % better conductivity.• Produced weekly project status updates to internal/external customers on a novel flame-retardant army uniform prototype to replace existing uniforms comprised of toxic halogens and abrasives.

Greater New York City Area

• Launched the development of a knowledge database comprised of over 200+ individual properties attributed to packaging films by outlining project scope and project deliverables within 2 months. • Bolstered rapport with internal and external clients by building the customers' trust through demonstrations on instrumental techniques typically used in scientific investigation / root cause analysis (i.e. DSC, FTIR, UV-Vis, Surface Tension, SEM, and EDX.)

Mahwah, Nj

• Spearheaded a polymer-based bone cement study working with Quality Engineering, Product Development, Marketing, R&D, and other Value Creation teams, boosting company's orthopedic division sales by 10%.• Cultivated the buy-in of EHS and R&D to support a separate waste stream for an aqua toxic surfactant to support the company's commitment towards environmental sustainability. • Devised and led execution of validation studies examining KPIs in polyethylene and polymethyl methacrylate… Show more • Spearheaded a polymer-based bone cement study working with Quality Engineering, Product Development, Marketing, R&D, and other Value Creation teams, boosting company's orthopedic division sales by 10%.• Cultivated the buy-in of EHS and R&D to support a separate waste stream for an aqua toxic surfactant to support the company's commitment towards environmental sustainability. • Devised and led execution of validation studies examining KPIs in polyethylene and polymethyl methacrylate materials (e.g. tensile strength, compression) to ensure changes in product formulation do not impact product quality. Show less

Bend, Or

• Assembled a cross-functional team (Marketing, IT, R&D, Value Creation) to translate product requirements and specifications into the product launch of a drug database software tool that resulted in a 30% cost-reduction across R&D Operations.• Overhauled R&D efficiency and data quality by initiating a new DSC procedural method and SOP guidelines to eliminate sources of cross-contamination, reducing lead analysis time by 2 weeks. • Initiated a recycling program for 4-L solvent jars… Show more • Assembled a cross-functional team (Marketing, IT, R&D, Value Creation) to translate product requirements and specifications into the product launch of a drug database software tool that resulted in a 30% cost-reduction across R&D Operations.• Overhauled R&D efficiency and data quality by initiating a new DSC procedural method and SOP guidelines to eliminate sources of cross-contamination, reducing lead analysis time by 2 weeks. • Initiated a recycling program for 4-L solvent jars consumed in HPLC analysis to support company's sustainability initiatives. • Conducted and evaluated the stability and performance of API drug delivery formulations using analytical test methods via Microscopy, KF Titration, SEM, DSC, HPLC, etc. with scientific interpretation of results. Show less

Eugene, Oregon Area

• Mobilized a team of scientists and engineers to design, execute, and successfully validate an effective extraction method to recover toxic halogenated flame retardants from polyurethane foams using DOSY NMR, 1H NMR, and 31P NMR.• Designed, structured and orchestrated an instructional workshop with training modules on polymers and thermal analysis test methods to a class of 20 colleagues.

Eugene, Oregon Area

● Saved over $5,000 in DMA repair costs by identifying root cause of 2-year intermittent malfunction.● Assembled formulations and performed routine thermal analyses to evaluate the catalytic activity of ZrO2 nanoparticles with various monomers. ● Performed thermal analysis measurements for quality assurance of liquid crystalline monomer using DSC and TGA.

Blacksburg, Va

Investigated the role of aggressive water qualities (chlorinated water of high pH, high silica, flow velocities, etc.) that induce the formation of pinhole leaks that occur in copper pipes.Constructed and operated both small and large scale tanks to simulate copper pipe-loop testing.Prepared and acidified bulk water samples for ICP-MS analysis, and analyzed data with scientific interpretation of results.Measured corrosion potentials in the copper pipes using a Fluke 87… Show more Investigated the role of aggressive water qualities (chlorinated water of high pH, high silica, flow velocities, etc.) that induce the formation of pinhole leaks that occur in copper pipes.Constructed and operated both small and large scale tanks to simulate copper pipe-loop testing.Prepared and acidified bulk water samples for ICP-MS analysis, and analyzed data with scientific interpretation of results.Measured corrosion potentials in the copper pipes using a Fluke 87 Series Multimeter to correlate findings with ICP-MS data. Show less

Blacksburg, Va

Synthesized precursor molecules of antimicrobial dendritic amphiphiles to serve affordable anti-infectives that facilitate drug delivery.Performed thin layer chromatography (TLC), recrystallization, and column chromatography.Characterized organic compounds using H NMR and mass spectrometry.

Master Of Science (M.S.), Chemistry

Activities and Societies: Entrepreneurs Inventing the Future During my career at the University of Oregon, I had the opportunity.

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Chemistry

Activities and Societies: American Chemical Society (ACS), Virginia Tech Environmental Coalition, Alpha Chi Sigma (Professional Co-Ed.

Chemistry

Activities and Societies: Active Students for a Healthy Environment (A.S.H.E.) Transferred to Virginia Tech for successful completion.

High School Diploma

Activities and Societies: Asian American Club