I have had an interest in science since I can remember – perhaps it was watching all that Star Trek with my father? I went the University of Richmond for undergrad where I got a B.S. in Chemistry and went on to get a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. My thesis research focused on using ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to study multivalent interactions in Laura Kiessling’s lab.
For many years, I ran the operations at Quintessence Biosciences, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on development of proprietary cancer therapies. I started with the company as the first employee and was fortunate to watch the organization grow and the technology develop. My time here often left me thinking about the science of cancer, oncology clinical trials and nuances of working in a highly regulated industry. I also traveled to scientific and business conferences to discuss our programs. I also spent some time at HealthMyne on the application of their quantitative imaging software to development and clinical use of oncology drugs.
Outside of Quintessence, I have been active in the small business community in Wisconsin. I am part of the MERLIN mentors program, helping to develop an even stronger pool of entrepreneurs in Madison . I’m also fortunate to talk shop with the Capital Entrepreneurs and the Forward Festival from time to time. In 2011, I helped develop the program for the National SBIR conference in Madison. Previously, I was on the board of the biotech trade association, BioForward.
(The opinions shared here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions held by…anybody else really! As you read this blog, please consider the date of each post as opinions develop and change over time. You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr. My Tumblr posts are generally scenes from some of my runs or shorter posts. I am also over on Google +. The social media images on the right are courtesy of sargsyan.)