Associate Director, Translational PKPD Modeling

October 2019 – Present | Spring House, Pennsylvania

• Develop robust human dose projection strategies via quantitative pharmacology to enable efficient compound discovery and translation from early preclinical discovery through early development
• PKPD modeling lead on 13 small molecule, 3 targeted protein degrader, and 1 peptide programs and counting. Due diligence modeling lead on more than 8 reviews of possible external assets

Select Key Impacts:

• Declared 3 new molecular entities (NMEs) with 2 first in human (FIH) starts that are ongoing in the clinic
• Enabled confident no-go decision on multiple programs allowing valuable resources and time to be reallocated to projects with a higher probability of success
• Informed go decision on a high priority program by establishing pivotal structure-activity relationships (SAR) for compounds to balance the exposure necessary for efficacy with the potential for on-target toxicity

PhysioPD Engineer, QSP Modeling

January 2016 – September 2019 | Remote

• Built Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP) models to enable decision making across all stages of the drug discovery and development pipeline
• Lead QSP modeler on 10+ projects including small molecule platforms, large molecule platforms, & target ID/biomarker assessment focused platforms

Select Key Impacts:

• Facilitated rigorous in vitro-in vivo extrapolation, boosting confidence in the translation of preclinical data to clinical applications
• Helped clients identify the optimal biomarker for clinical use to demonstrate successful target engagement building confidence in understanding clinical outcomes and reducing risk in the clinic
• Evaluated and ranked uncertainties and data gaps in clients’ programs, allowing them to design studies that enhance the likelihood of success or facilitate quicker no-go decisions

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

September 2014 – February 2016 | Baltimore, Maryland
Popel Systems Biology Lab
Advisor: Dr. Aleksander Popel

• Triple Negative Breast Cancer Metastasis. Worked on Constructing a multi-scale PKPD compartmental model to investigate breast cancer metastasis in the lung. The model end goal was to be used to examine drug repurposing to inhibit metastasis.
• Immuno-oncology/Cancer Immunology. Explored using the adaptive immune response to target various forms of cancer. Worked on building a T-Cell signaling QSP model.

Graduate Research Assistant

August 2013 – May 2014 | Los Alamos, New Mexico
Center for Nonlinear Studies
Mentor: Dr. William Hlavacek

• A month long collaboration with the Center for Nonlinear Studies (CNLS) extended to a graduate research position. Worked on building and training rules-based models to be used for predicting cell signaling outcomes.

Doctoral Candidate

August 2010 – July 2014 | Albuquerque, New Mexico
Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Jeremy Edwards

Toolbox:

• Developed a spatial stochastic model which utilizes Single Particle Tracking (SPT) data to investigate the dynamics and kinetics of proteins on and near the cell membrane.
  • Validated using SPT data.
  • Predicts protein behavior and interactions beyond current experimental capabilities.
  • Novel experimental methods can then be developed based on predictions made by the model.

• Created a graphical user interface (GUI) for the model to allow both modelers and experimentalist to utilize the program.

• Developed an algorithm to estimate the size distribution of domains on the cellular membrane.

Spatial Stochastic Model Applications:

• Investigated the impact of membrane landscape on ErbB1 diffusion, dimerization, and phosphorylation.
  • Details published in: Dynamic Transition States of ErbB1 Phosphorylation Predicted by Spatial-Stochastic Modeling, BioPhysical Journal, 2013.

• Uncovering the mechanism of lateral signal propagation through simulated experiments.

• Discovering the complex dynamics of ErbB2-ErbB3 and ErbB3-ErbB3 interactions and their impact on signal initiation.
  • Manuscript with details/findings has been accepted for publication in Molecular Biology of the Cell.

Computer Simulations Engineer

March 2010 – August 2010 | Newark, Delaware
Department of Chemical Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Stanley Sandler

• Edited and adapted Molecular Dynamic and Monte Carlo simulations using Matlab and FORTRAN. The programs are used in “An Introduction to Applied Statistical Thermodynamics” by Stanley I Sandler (Wiley)

Undergraduate Research Fellow

March 2008 – August 2010 | Newark, Delaware
Department of Chemical Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Babatunde Ogunnaike

• Developed the foundation for a multi-scale glycosylation process model for the control of monoclonal antibody glycosylation. A portion of the work is published in Chapter 2 of “Pat Applied in Biopharmaceutical Process Development and Manufacturing: An Enabling Tool for Quality-by-Design” Editors: Cenk Undey, Duncan Low, Jose C. Menezes, Mel Koch (CRC Press)

Mathematical Model Developer

January 2009 – January 2010 | San Carlos, California
Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Baillie

• Researched wound healing, helped to prepare a grant, and started developing a mathematical model for wound healing.

Surfactant Development Assistant

August 2007 – December 2007 | Newark, Delaware
Mentor: Errico De Francesco

• Researched different methods of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), different surfactants for EOR and documented and presented findings.
• Developed a model for in-situ combustion reactions and documented the developed model and how it is used.