Research Project Lead for Early Discovery preclinical immuno-oncology antibody therapies in the T Cell Biology group• Recommended no-go decision on early stage discovery project after five months of investigation using in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo experiments, as well as gene expression data from public and proprietary data sets• Establish screening assays using primary cells (human PBMCs and murine immune cells), engineered cell lines, and immune/tumor co-cultures to evaluate candidate drug targets• Perform in vivo tumor growth/efficacy studies and immunoprofiling of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes to investigate therapeutic mechanisms of action

Led efforts to establish a biology lab at a newly formed startup• Advanced small molecule screening efforts for proof of concept experiments, initiated in vivo experiments, and defined structure-activity relationships of lead compounds• Collaborated with Contract Research Organizations, academic partners, and seasoned industry experts

Studying the metabolic effects of immunomodulatory receptor agonism/inhibition of various T cell subsets, primarily CD8+ T cells, using immuno-oncology therapies currently in the clinic or marketplace.• Exploring small molecule therapy to modulate T cell metabolism in order to alter T cell activation, effector function, memory formation and proliferative capacity.• Established and facilitated a collaboration with a leading academic group after serving as a member of a cross-disciplinary team to organize an internal scientific conference on cancer cell and immune cell metabolism, bringing together key opinion leaders from academia and strategic scientific Merck personnel • Directly contributed to initiating investigations into utilizing metabolic profiling to inform on patient response, stratification, and target discovery• Collaborating across departments on-site as well as with other US and international Merck sites • Identifying suitable Contract Research Organizations for appropriate support work

• Performed quality control testing of raw materials and manufactured goods using high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and wet chemistry techniques according to GMP and GLP guidelines.• Completed raw materials analysis and finished goods testing in accordance with strict schedules to sustain manufacturing timetables and maintain product supply chains.• Conducted internal quality audits to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.• Reviewed work of peers, including laboratory notebooks and analytical data.• Trained analysts across multiple manufacturing sites and supervised their experimental execution.

• Performed quality control testing of raw materials using high performance liquid chromatography and wet chemistry techniques according to GMP and GLP guidelines.• Completed raw materials analysis testing in accordance with strict schedules to sustain manufacturing timetables and maintain product supply chains.• Worked as a member of a team of Quality professionals to successfully pass an FDA site inspection of a New Drug Application and bring a new medication to market.