Derek Mason

Director of Research Operations

Basel, Basel, Switzerland

About

After completing his PhD in the Laboratory for Systems and Synthetic Immunology at ETH Zurich’s D-BSSE, Derek co-founded deepCDR Biologics, a biotech start-up that applied machine learning to accelerate therapeutic antibody discovery and engineering. This ETH Zurich spinoff was later acquired by Alloy Therapeutics, where its innovative technology became integral to Alloy’s antibody discovery platform. Building on this experience, Derek now serves as the Director of Research Operations at the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE). In this role, he leads the development of core scientific facilities and supports the research endeavors of multiple groups across the institute. Additionally, he acts as a Project Director for one of BIIE’s flagship initiatives, spearheading collaborative efforts to advance applications of machine learning in therapeutic discovery and development.

Experience

  • Director of Research Operations at Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering – BIIE
    Mar 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) is a newly founded non-profit research organization aiming to become a world leading research institute for the advanced study of immunological systems with a mission to develop translational solutions for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.

  • Alloy Therapeutics, Inc. (Basel, Switzerland)
    • Director, Innovation Research & Collaborations
      Jul 2022 - Nov 2023 · 1 yr 5 mos

    • Director Of Operations
      Dec 2021 - Nov 2023 · 2 yrs

      Alloy Therapeutics is a biotechnology ecosystem company empowering the global scientific community to make better medicines together.

  • Co-Founder at deepCDR Biologics
    Sep 2019 - Dec 2021 · 2 yrs 4 mos

    deepCDR Biologics has been acquired by Alloy Therapeutics to bring bioinformatics and machine learning to its antibody discovery offering. The Basel team of Alloy Therapeutics will support computational drug discovery and development across several sites and modalities!

  • Graduate Student at ETH Zurich
    Sep 2015 - Mar 2020 · 4 yrs 7 mos

  • Process Engineer at AECOM
    Aug 2014 - Aug 2015 · 1 yr 1 mo

    • Led process engineering support for a greenfield gas compressor station and have provided process engineering support for sulfur and CO2 removal technologies. • Developed process model (HYSYS), heat and material balances, and facility PFD and P&IDs. Performed PSV sizing, vessel sizing, pump sizing, and piping hydraulic calculations. Completed equipment and instrument conditions of service. • Provided intern mentorship for simulation development, basic process engineering calculations, and PFD/P&ID design.