Neil Thompson Email & Phone Number

San Diego, Ca, Us

San Diego, California, Us

As an engineer, I had to speak in front of management every month for project status meetings. I was terrible at it at first, but improved significantly over time. I now work with technical profesionals so they can present more effectiviely, especially in front of non-technical audiences. I do this work via workshops, speaking engagements, and via my online membership offering, the Teach the Geek to Speak Society.

San Diego, California, Us

I host the Teach the Geek podcast, interviewing those with STEM backgrounds (engineers, scientists, etc.) on their public speaking journeys. New episodes every Wednesday!

I wrote a book to let Black kids know (if they didn't already) that, even though the number of Black people who pursue STEM careers is low, STEM is for them, too. I used hair as the vehicle to impart that message. The book is also to foster curiosity in children so they see themselves as members of the innovation economy.The book is about my nephew Anthony asking me why his hair is the way it is. I use science to answer the question.And if you look at the book's cover, the answer is no, my hairline isn't that jacked up. At least, I hope not...

San Diego, Us

Steriliant is the brainchild of product development engineers who see that there is a need. Many medical device companies may not have the time or resources in house to focus on packaging projects. Steriliant fills that need by providing packaging design, material and equipment procurement assistance, testing protocols and report development, and contract manufacturing sourcing. Visit www.steriliant.com for more details on how we can help with your medical device packaging needs.

San Diego, California, Us

Torrey Pines Law Group is one of few IP firms that specializes in the life sciences (biotech, pharma, and medical devices) as it relates to artificial intelligence and machine learning. As a patent agent, I drafted and prosecuted patent applications, wrote office action responses, and analyzed prior art search reports.

After years as a product developmenth engineer in the medical device industry, I transitioned into being a patent agent and freelance writer. I was drafting and filing patent applications, advising hopeful patent holders, and responding to office actions. I also wrote documents for medical device companies, like marketing collateral, quality documents, and clinical papers.

Naturally introverted, I spend most of my time thinking about stuff. What I have worked out in my head is now Neil Thompson Speaks! Drawing from my own life, I address audiences about issues that may be holding them back from achieving the results they want. My main focus is helping STEM professionals gain visibility at work so that they can get the promotions and pay raises they deserve.Check out my website for blogs, VLOGs, podcasts, speaking topics, and more!

For years, I worked as a product development engineer. I decided to change things up a bit and delve into patent law. I'm a registered patent agent and work with Eric on drafting patent applications. What I like most about this position is learning about the novel inventions that people come up with. To be a part of the progression from idea on a napkin to issued patent is truly rewarding.

The Loh Down on Science (LDOS) is a syndicated radio science minute, available locally or at lohdownonscience.org. The program’s goal is to present science in a way that is humorous yet informative. I write scripts for the program on subjects that vary from solar powered aircrafts to pig fat lasers. All my previous positions followed a trajectory, graduating to greater responsibilities. This job is definitely a stretch from my previous ones, but I enjoy the change of pace and writing about quirky sciences stories. I especially love hearing my scripts read on air!

Irvine, Ca, Us

I wrote articles for the online Milestones e-zine, specifically articles about the monthly Advanced Topic Seminars (ATS). Seminars are all project management-related, ranging in topics from risk management to team leadership.

BioStructures is a company with a comprehensive line of allograft and synthetic orthobiologics products. I was given a mandate to develop a new line of allograft products. Even though priorities shifted while I was there, I was brought onto another project developing another product. I was involved with many facets of the project. Designing testing fixtures and writing documents such as the hazard analysis and the process verification protocol come to mind. However, my proudest accomplishment was writing a sampling plan that provided a rationale for assigning sample size for process verifications, validations, and incoming inspections. I had never written such a plan before, but after a lot of research and consulting with those in the know, I wrote it. The plan will save the company money by minimizing 100% inspections whenever possible. And when the company is audited by external bodies, it can provide a justification for its sampling policies.

Us

I wrote articles for the monthly newsletter. The chapter invites presenters of various specialties to speak, with topics ranging from cost accounting to team building. I also contributed project management-related articles to the newsletter. Articles are available on my LinkedIn page!

Carlsbad, California, Us

Advanced Biologics is an orthobiologics company. I was the company's third employee. The owner and president of the company brought together people who he had worked with at previous stops to develop a bone graft substitute that could compete with the leaders of the day. We came up with OsteoAMP, which regularly generated $1 million in monthly sales and was eventually sold to Bioventus in 2014. I was the project lead for OsteoAMP, overseeing cross-functional team activities and maintaining a comprehensive design history file. There is no choice but to wear many hats at a fledgling company, so I was involved with writing peer-reviewed journal articles, presenting at domestic and international conferences, and doing a lion's share of the wet lab testing, saving on external vendor costs.

Carlsbad, California, Us

Up until I joined Alphatec Spine, the company had focused primarily on spinal implants and instrumentation. Wanting to offer a more complete solution for spine surgeons, the company formed the Orthobiologics group. I was an inaugural member. Working at Alphatec Spine was my first exposure to project management. The engineers acted as project leads since the company did not employ dedicated project managers at the time. Using an FDA-inspired design control process, I lead cross-functional teams to develop orthobiologics products, mostly bone graft substitutes and stem cell allografts. Apart from project management responsibilities, I am especially proud of conducting the great majority of the wet lab-based testing as the sole engineer in the group with experience. Doing so kept development costs down by limiting the use of external vendors.

Waltham, Ma, Us

Histogenics Corporation is a regenerative medicine company. Its product, NeoCart, meant to treat lesions in articular cartilage, is currently in Phase III clinical trials. I joined the company shortly after graduating from Columbia. I worked in the Materials group, fabricating and characterizing collagen scaffolds and the accompanying tissue adhesives. A standout achievement from my time at Histogenics is when I came up with a way to improve the consistency of the lap shear strength results of the tissue adhesive. Until then, results varied widely, making it difficult to draw any conclusions about the tissue adhesive's efficacy. With a small tweak, standard deviations dropped by 50%.

Certificate, Project Management

M.S., Biomedical Engineering

M.S., Bioengineering

B.S., Materials Engineering