Serve as the CSO of a private start-up research and development company focused on identifying and validating novel cellular and diagnostic technologies relevant to human blood disorders.Broad knowledge of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries demonstrated by securing more than $2.2M in competitive non-dilutive grant funding (SBIR) to establish a drug discovery program designed to develop novel treatments for hematological disorders.Strong leadership as well as project management and time management skills as evidenced by managing research professionals, located domestically and internationally, on a collaborative project that resulted in the discovery of small molecules that are currently being explored as treatments for the medical condition thrombocytopenia.Excellent communication skills highlighted by successfully communicating research project to a diverse audience resulting in two confidential disclosure agreements with investment firms. Worked with CEO to prepare a commercialization plan to outline a strategy to get the product being developed by Blood Cell Technologies to market. Additional responsibilities:Identify new therapeutic areas that are in line with the company's interest. Conduct scientific due diligence, including competitive landscape analysis, market potential and intellectual property searches to assess whether to pursue the technology.Identify potential funding sources and prepare research grants to secure funding to support Research and Development.Identify and monitor the progress of key competitors to the technology, both commercially available and in the pipeline. Interact with contract research organizations (CROs) to identify resources and/or services that will aid in the progression of the research program.Worked with an intellectual patent attorney to draft a provisional patent for BCT's technology. Technical skills: assay development and optimization, protein chemistry, enzymology, drug discovery, biochemistry

Work with company decision-makers (i.e., CEOs, CSOs, VPs) to transform their scientific ideas into research proposals that appeal to reviewers with various levels of expertise. Secured Phase I (NIH and NSF) and Fast-track Phase I/Phase II (NIH) funding for clients to support the development of various technologies, including therapeutics and vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices, and scientific platforms. Write clear and evidence-based commercialization plans that include company information, business and product development strategy, go-to-market plan, regulatory and intellectual property strategy, and finances. Commercialization plans supported funded proposals for developing vaccines, medical devices, and a maternal mental healthcare platform.

Generate training material for clinical staff in preparation for clinical trials.Update cause, diagnosis, and treatment training courses covering various disease states and technologies to reflect current literature, standard of care, and pipeline products.

Excellent collaboration and teamwork skills demonstrated by working with a multidisciplinary team of scientists to identify and validate a novel drug target for enhancing platelet production in humans resulting in seven publications in peer-reviewed journals. Contribution to the field was acknowledged by experts in the field of redox biology in the form of an invitation to serve as a Forum-Editor for the journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling (ARS) https://www.liebertpub.com/toc/ars/29/18.Additional responsibilities:Manage a research project that is designed to elucidate the physiological role of BLVRB using mice as the model organism. Developed expression and purification protocols for a heme oxygenase that served as the source for generating substrates for BLVRB.Developed a protocol for optimizing production of biliverdin IX beta and biliverdin IX delta using a heme oxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Prepare, edit, and review scientific manuscripts.Mentor and train a graduate student and research associates.Technical skills-enzymology, protein chemistry, assay development and optimization, in vivo studies, biochemistry, molecular biology

Knowledgeable in drug discovery highlighted by working with a diverse team of scientists to identify small molecules that could potentially serve as novel drugs for treating infection caused by botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) resulting in a publication in a peer-reviewed journal.Ability to successfully facilitate communication between researchers demonstrated by coordinating an enzymology journal club that was established to allow graduate students to present and discuss research articles that were not directly related to their research projects.Additional responsibilities:Provided technical expertise to aid in the optimization of assays used to monitor enzymatic activity of potential drug targets from various human pathogens. Presented research findings and discussed current literature pertinent to research.Mentored and trained graduate students to design and troubleshoot experiments to complete doctoral degree requirements.Technical skills-enzymology, protein chemistry, assay development and optimization

Department of Chemistry (Chemical Biology)Advisor: Elizabeth M. Boon, PhDInnovative and creative thinker demonstrated by the development of a cost-effective method for generating a small molecule that is involved in various biological processes resulting in a commercially available product (https://www.kerafast.com/section/629/elizabeth-m-boon-phd) and a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Additional responsibilities: Trained and mentored graduate students.Prepared and reviewed scientific manuscripts.Technical skills-enzymology, molecular biology, biochemistry, assay development and optimization, protein chemistry, mass spectrometry, HPLC

Department of Chemistry (Chemical Biology)Advisor: Nicole S. Sampson, PhDExcellent relationship builder as evidenced by successfully setting-up two cross-functional collaborations to identify novel targets for treating the infectious disease tuberculosis resulting in five publications in peer-reviewed journals. Contribution to the field was acknowledged by subject matter experts in the form of acceptance of applications to present posters at various scientific conferences, an invitation to write a preview for a scientific journal article, and an invitation to present a lecture at an annual meeting for the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (https://www.asbmb.org/Asbmb.Web/media/files/atoday/ASBMBToday-2011-11.pdf). Additional responsibilities: Presented research findings and discussed current literature pertinent to research. Prepared and reviewed manuscripts for publication.Trained and mentored graduate and undergraduate students in primary biochemical concepts employed in the laboratory (i.e. cloning, gene expression, protein purification, enzyme assays, good laboratory practices). Technical skills-enzymology, biochemistry, molecular biology, assay development and optimization,, protein chemistry

Doctor of Philosophy, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular BiologyAdvisor: Squire J. Booker, PhDStrategic thinker with the ability to conduct research and gather and analyze data highlighted by the completion of a PhD dissertation project that was designed to study the production of the cofactor lipoic acid resulting in three publications in peer-reviewed journals. Creative approach to completing the research project was acknowledged in the form of two prestigious fellowships and a scholarship.Contribution to the field was recognized by subject matter experts in the form of invitations to present posters at various scientific conferences and invitations to contribute to two expert reviews of the science.Additional responsibilities:Prepared and reviewed manuscripts for publication.Presented research findings and discussed current literature pertinent to research. Trained and mentored undergraduate students in primary biochemical concepts employed in the laboratory (i.e. cloning, gene expression, protein purification, enzyme assays, good laboratory practices).Technical skills-protein chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, enzymology, assay development and optimization, mass spectrometry

Performed experiments to understand the role of caspase 4 in apoptosis. Experiments included gene expression, protein purification and characterization, Polymerase chain reaction, genetic manipulation and cloning, designing enzymatic assays and enzyme kinetics.