Sam L. Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Vic, Au

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne, Australia

I was one of the key players in the team in multiple critical projects of the company, including our Phase I Plexoval clinical study, multiple in-vivo studies, formulation stability study, tech transfer, etc. Specifically, I was responsible fo the technical aspect of downstream exosome purification in those projects (purification process from raw material through to drug product). For our R&D needs, I refined and improved existing exosome-purification processes to suit application at different scales using sound engineering practice - from small scale (~1mL) to larger scale (~10L). I also led activities in advancing our process understanding of chromatography-based exosome purification process via systematic data collection, experiments, and observation.In day-to-day operation, I assisted in managing the scientific research activities of Downstream Processing team (a team of five) and acted as the interface with other departments for various R&D experiments.

This was a university-linked consultancy project for a client in manufacturing-scale yeast-based bioprocess. The goal of the project was to identify area of process improvement specifically to improve the process yield of the existing process. Based on engineering and process understanding, I provided recommendation during the project based on the requirement of the client and a budget guidance.

Melbourne, Australia

PhD Thesis: Study of emulsion phenomenon during microalgal lipid extraction in the context of biofuel productionIn my PhD project, I dived deep into a cutting-edge area (microalgae biofuels production) that I was personally driven in - to help advance sustainable energy and make a positive impact through biotechnology. One key challenge of the technology was energy-balance deficit of the process – i.e. it costs more energy to produce the biofuel than what we can harness from the end product. With that as a context, I aimed to tackle the challenge by building on a novel energy-efficient lipid extraction technology previously developed in Martin’s lab. I identified some knowledge gaps in the novel process and build a fundamental understanding of the process through scientific observation and testings. Based on our new found process-understanding, I applied the knowledge by incorporating a new step (enzymatic conversion) that is synergistic with the emulsion phenomenon during the process to make it more energy efficient. Other than working on my research projects, I was also an active participant in the community, dipping in various activities such as teaching and tutoring, volunteering for university's industry-linked projects, conference presentations. In the lab, I am generally known to be resourceful and was the go-to person (problem solver), especially when an instrument is in trouble and in need of troubleshooting!The technical experience I’ve accumulated during my PhD includes a broad range of skills across multi-disciplinary field, including upstream scale-up (microalgae culture), downstream bioprocess (extraction and purification), process engineering, analytical skills (chromatography, lipid and protein analysis), and interfacial and fluid behavior (rheology). During my PhD study, I also supervised 4 Master-level Research Project students, which contributed to their course graduation and resulted in a co-publication.

Subjects: - Biochemical and pharmaceutical engineering (2015-2017) - Bioprocess engineering (2016)- Process Equipment Design (2016-2018)I have always enjoyed mentoring and teaching others - I found that through teaching others, it did not only encourage me to understand a topic in more depth, but also helped develop my scientific communication skill in conveying technical information in an easily understandable manner. In recognition of my effort, I was also awarded best tutor award in the Chemical Engineering department in 2017 (which was based on student feedbacks).

Petaling Jaya

In this role, I worked closely with our sales team, service engineer team, as well as our clients (clinicians) by providing technical supports and recommendation based on my product knowledge. The product portfolio under my care were medical diagnostics and care equipments covering care areas of maternal-infant care, ear-nose-throat and audiology. Over the years, I had given over 120 workshops and presentations (part of KPI), covering the whole Peninsular Malaysia region. In my role here, I had also accumulated experience of working in an ISO-accredited environment while adhereing the relevant regulatory requirements (GDPMD).

State College, Pennsylvania Area

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Biotechnology

Activities and Societies: Minor in economics, biochemistry and molecular biology, and microbiology.- Graduated with highest distinction..