Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
I am a scientist and leader with diverse experience driving drug discovery programs, managing research units, and cultivating partnerships with industry and academia. My mission is to help discover cures for critical diseases and develop technologies that accelerate drug research by working in the frontiers of chemistry and biology. I am excited to share that I have recently taken up the role of Senior Director of Molecular Platform Development with Zealand Pharma to help lead peptide, protein, and bioconjugate drug discovery units at a new research center in Cambridge, MA.
In June of 2016, I completed my postdoctoral appointment in the Medicinal Chemistry Knowledge Center of Stanford ChEM-H under the supervision of Professor Chaitan Khosla and Dr. Mark Smith. My role was highly collaborative, and required constant engagement with clinicians, engineers, and scientists from multiple research groups. In collaboration with Professor Gerald Grant of Stanford Neurosurgery and Professor Jennifer Cochran of Stanford Bioengineering, I developed knottin peptides as vehicles for drug delivery and as imaging tools, with particular emphasis on finding new ways to treat pediatric brain tumors. My work on this project involved the design and synthesis of knottin-drug conjugates, including the small molecule payload, linker, and tumor-targeting peptide (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 9894). In collaboration with Professor Kathleen Sakamoto, I developed a lead series of small molecules targeting CREB for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2019, 29, 2307).
While under the supervision of Professor Gojko Lalic, I developed new transition metal catalyzed reactions, with emphasis on new techniques for synthesizing highly enantioenriched cyclic ethers containing tetrasubstituted stereocenters using copper and gold catalysis. I also developed new techniques for the mild deoxygenation of secondary alcohols and alkyl halides using a copper catalyst. In addition to research and mentoring of graduate students and undergraduates, I assisted in teaching a variety of upper-level undergraduate organic chemistry courses, including extensive curriculum development for an advanced organic synthesis course.
Flow cytometry to support immunotoxicology research.