United States
With 12+ years of experience across cardiovascular biology, gene therapy, and translational research, I specialize in converting early scientific insight into development and investment decisions. Shaped by a global upbringing and academic experiences across three continents, I bring an international, cross-cultural perspective that strengthens how I collaborate with global partners and think about impact for patients worldwide. I help teams evaluate opportunities, refine product assumptions, and translate mechanism-level understanding into clinical and commercial development paths. My work focuses on framing scientific, translational, and feasibility risk under uncertainty to enable portfolio prioritization and investment decisions, in close partnership with BD, commercial, and therapeutic area leadership. I've led IND-enabling strategy, chaired cross-functional development teams, and partnered closely with BD, clinical, regulatory, and commercial leaders to assess external opportunities and shape early product profiles. My approach is grounded in scientific rigor but oriented toward feasibility, differentiation, and real-world impact. Core Strengths • Opportunity & Portfolio Assessment – Evaluating mechanistic rationale, translational feasibility, differentiation potential, and risk-to-clinic pathways • Scientific & Strategic Integration – Turning complex biology into clear assumptions that guide pipeline and asset decisions • Decision Framing & Executive Communication – Synthesizing cross-functional perspectives for scientific, clinical, and strategic stakeholders • External Engagement & BD Partnership – Building trusted partnerships with KOLs, collaborators, and BD / Search & Evaluation teams Beyond Work I enjoy mentoring and using martial arts as a teaching tool. I’ve served as a scientific journal reviewer and support medical fundraising. I'm also passionate about astrophotography and growing butterflies.
Role Overview Directed early development strategy for AAV gene therapy programs, integrating translational, nonclinical, regulatory, clinical, and commercial considerations to support development and portfolio decisions. Chaired Spark's Nonclinical Sub-Team for a first-in-human Phase 1/2 gene therapy program, leading cross-functional integration of pharmacology, toxicology, translational, and clinical evidence to inform regulatory strategy, risk assessment, and governance recommendations. Partnered with BD/S&E to evaluate external opportunities and refine development assumptions supporting portfolio advancement. Core Contributions • Strategic Insight Translation: Converted mechanistic and translational insights into development assumptions that informed clinical-path decisions and early product strategy. • Nonclinical Development Leadership: Chaired Spark's Nonclinical Sub-Team for a first-in-human AAV gene therapy program, integrating pharmacology, biodistribution, toxicology, translational, regulatory, and clinical evidence to support development and governance decisions. • Reverse Translation & Evidence Integration: Integrated Phase 1/2 learnings back into discovery to refine feasibility, biological rationale, and platform direction. • Opportunity & Portfolio Assessment: Synthesized scientific, translational, and feasibility risk into governance-facing assessments used by TA leadership to support portfolio prioritization and investment decisions.
Role Overview • Led external client programs across cardiovascular, liver, oncology, and neuroscience indications, overseeing scientific strategy, assay development, and delivery for a $1.2M portfolio supporting therapeutic evaluation and progression decisions. • Partnered with KOLs, biotech companies, and pharmaceutical teams to design high-content screening strategies that assessed mechanism strength, translational relevance, and differentiation potential across small molecule, biologic, and gene therapy programs. • Synthesized complex preclinical datasets into actionable scientific recommendations, helping clients evaluate opportunities, refine development assumptions, and achieve milestone-driven objectives.
Investigated neural-cardiac interactions using gene delivery and electrophysiology models to understand mechanisms underlying heart failure and post–myocardial infarction remodeling. Partnered with clinicians and basic scientists to generate translational insights that informed early therapeutic hypotheses and mechanistic frameworks. Publication: "Heterogeneous cardiac sympathetic innervation gradients promote arrhythmogenesis in murine dilated cardiomyopathy". JCI Insight, Oct 2023. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.157956.
Led mechanistic studies linking nuclear structure, ion channel regulation, and arrhythmogenesis in heart failure. Evaluated cardiac effects of a cross-disciplinary oncology-focused small molecule through a multi-institutional collaboration, generating insights into Lamin-A/C–mediated modulation of Nav1.5 and its implications for therapeutic development. Publication: "Phosphorylation of Lamin A/C at serine 22 modulates Nav1.5 function". Physiological Reports, Nov 2021. doi: 10.14814/phy2.15121.
Investigated the mechanistic impact of LMNA and SCN5A genetic variants on cardiac conduction and arrhythmogenesis, generating insights that informed early detection and clinical management of inherited cardiomyopathies. Designed and executed electrophysiology studies that advanced understanding of ion channel dysfunction in human disease and contributed to updated diagnostic guidance. Presented research at major cardiovascular conferences, including Heart Rhythm and the American Heart Association. Publications: Multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts in Circulation, Heart Rhythm, Cardiogenetics, and Korean Circulation Journal.