Innovative Scientist and Research Leader

Strengthen and grow Tufts University's MS in chemistry/biotechnology program through mentoring students, teaching research methods and professional development, and building partnerships with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to create opportunities for Tufts students.

• Led and managed platform chemistry for series A-funded biotech/pharma startup company.
• Designed and synthesized bespoke chemical library for covalent drug discovery.
• Developed library screening strategies.
• Evaluated high throughput chemoproteomics data to identify hits.
• Elaborated a weak screening hit into a compound series for a therapeutic program.
• Computer-aided design and molecular modeling.
• Managed international CROs.

• Managed an interdisciplinary and multinational team of scientists in chemical biology and medicinal chemistry to invent tools to enable innovative experimental approaches to biological questions.
• Design and synthesis of small molecules for light-mediated activation of biological effectors to study neurobiology, embryonic development, olfaction, and other complex physiology.
• Target-based discovery and screening of inhibitors of CaaX protease Ras converting enzyme (Rce1) to probe the role it plays in regulating the function of the oncogene Ras.
• Structure-based discovery and design of potential drug leads for malaria, cancer, and viral infections.
• Biological evaluation of C-glycoside-based inhibitors of sodium-glucose co-transporters SGLT1 and SGLT2 as leads for diabetes drugs.
• Collaborated with engineer to develop magnetoencephalography (MEG) as a probe of cell physiology and cancer screening tool.
• Collaborated internationally with neurobiologists, cell biologists, biochemists, developmental biologists, computational chemists, and experimental physical chemists.
• Helped build core research instrumentation facilities.
• Recruited, hired, mentored, and evaluated research staff and faculty members.
• Partnered with NY colleagues to create joint NYU and NYUAD PhD program in chemistry.
• Communicated science to student, lay, and professional audiences.
• Engaged in active program of research, teaching, and service.

• Created innovative, externally funded, and successful research program in bioorganic chemistry and chemical biology to develop small organic molecules as probes of cell physiology.
• Oversaw budgets of major grant awards from government and philanthropic funding agencies.
• Managed research staff of postdoctoral associates, graduate and undergraduate students.
• Communicated science to student, lay, and professional audiences.