Our People

President and CEO

Kenneth Fasman, Ph.D.

Kenneth Fasman, formerly senior vice president for research at The Jackson Laboratory, joined IPI as president and CEO in 2022. After earning his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, he founded a bioscience laboratory systems company, BME Systems Inc., and went on to design and implement the original database for the groundbreaking Human Genome Project.

Fasman later pivoted to bioinformatics, drug discovery and research strategy, spending more than three decades with top pharmaceutical companies and nonprofit genomics institutes. Under his guidance, IPI takes on a three-fold mission to build resources, power discovery and enhance education within the protein science and biological research communities.

Director of Education & Communications

Trisha Gura, Ph.D.

Trisha Gura, Ph.D., brings to IPI more than 25 years of experience in journalism, communications and marketing. Trained as a molecular biologist and science journalist, she has the rare ability to communicate science and technology to a wide range of individuals. She also offers IPI strategic and fundraising expertise, having worked as director of marketing and communications at T1D Exchange and associate director of communications at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Director of Finance

Kate Homer

Kate Homer brings two decades of experience in financial planning, analysis and management to her role as Director of Finance at IPI. Previously, she worked as Senior Manager of Financial Analysis at SomaLogic, the Director of Finance at The Jackson Laboratory and Chief Financial Officer at Main Molecular Quality Controls Inc. Backing this experience, she holds a bachelor’s in finance from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the Yale School of Management, where she specialized in asset management.

At IPI, she works closely with the finance and leadership teams to guide decision-making and develop research sustainably. When not at the office, she enjoys traveling with her family and helping her husky/newfoundland pup burn off his energy — which proves a difficult task.

Director of People and Culture

Jill Mazanec

As director of human resources, Jill Mazanec brings to IPI more than 20 years of experience leading HR, administration and operations for global wealth management companies and national real estate firms. She has experience in all facets of human resources and excels at aligning strategy, people and resources to achieve results. Jill is helping IPI identify talented new employees and ensuring the organization continues to operate efficiently and cohesively as it grows. And, to top it off, she also brings an incredible sense of direction and a true passion for Excel pivot tables.

Head of the IPI Neuroscience Program

Rob Meijers, Ph.D.

Rob Meijers, Ph.D., brings to IPI an expertise in deep protein production, having established a user facility for protein preparation and characterization at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Hamburg Outstation, where he was a group leader. He also studied neuronal receptors, revealing how the axon guidance protein netrin interacts with its receptors. At IPI, Rob is well-positioned to identify and design protein targets, as well as engage the neurobiology community to test IPI protein science tools.

Director of Antibody Characterization & Validation

Deborah Moshinsky, Ph.D.

Deborah Moshinsky, Ph.D., director of antibody characterization and validation, ensures high-quality IPI antibodies through rigorous testing in multiple applications. Her team performs assay development, high-throughput antibody testing and biophysical characterization while collaborating with scientists in academia and industry to disseminate protein science knowledge and advance scientific research.

Deborah completed her Ph.D. in biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before working with a number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Novartis, and SUGEN, Inc. She has an entrepreneurial spirit, having co-founded and led Cell Assay Innovations, a drug discovery biotechnology company and CRO, for 10 years. Also a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, she enjoys the gym, a good fruit smoothie and all aspects of health and wellness.

Senior Director of the Antibody Platform

André Teixeira, Ph.D.

André Teixeira, Ph.D., is excited to join the antibody discovery team to curate new projects, design experiments and analyze data to improve our library technologies and platform. André, originally from Brazil, completed his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology at the Universidade de São Paulo. He then worked as an associate scientist at the New Mexico Consortium and, concurrently, as the head of antibody libraries at Specifica, Inc. There, he led the production of scFV, Fab, VHH, constant light chain and IgG libraries for a variety of pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, and developed NGS data processing software used for converting DNA reads into annotated antibody sequences.

In addition to his many scientific accomplishments, André recently became an enthusiastic practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is the proud owner of Cacau, a lovely Goldendoodle.

Director of Automation

Curtis Walton, Ph.D.

As director of automation, Curtis Walton, Ph.D., develops streamlined solutions to automate liquid handling and benchwork tasks, refine experimental procedures, and increase the productivity and accuracy of IPI scientific investigations. This innovative work enables the lab team to dedicate more energy to discovering novel antibodies. 

Curtis completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Ottawa with a graduate diploma in scientific leadership and management. He worked as a scientist with Hyasynth Bio’s enzyme engineering team before moving up the ranks at Conagen to head their Automated Research Center. He’s skilled at creative problem-solving and has spent years building technical expertise, starting with his high school robotics team in Sarnia, Canada.

Senior Research Associate

Mina Abdollahi

Mina Abdollahi earned her first master’s degree in inorganic chemistry in Isfahan, Iran and her second in pharmaceutical sciences at Northeastern University in Boston. Before joining IPI’s antibody production team, Mina worked as a pharmacy supervisor at CVS. In her free time, she enjoys woodworking with her husband.

Research Associate

Zachary Anderson

Zachary Anderson, originally from North St. Paul, Minnesota, received his bachelor’s in biology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Before starting at IPI as a research associate focused on cell display, he worked as a technician in Aveda’s cosmetic research center and Northeastern University’s clinical laboratory. Zach is a self-proclaimed Star Wars superfan who wouldn’t last long without pizza.

Senior Scientist

Murali Anuganti

Murali Anuganti comes to IPI from his postdoc at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. Before that, he received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, in 2018, studying the kinetics of enzymatic hydrolysis using a model cellulose film and surface plasmon resonance method. Originally from Telangana, India, Murali says that if he were a car, he would be a Ferrari.

Research Associate

Swethika Balasankar

Research associate Swethika Balasankar holds a master’s in biotechnology from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s from the Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy in her home state of Tamil Nadu, India. During her master’s, she chaired the Biotechnology Student Association and completed two internships with Moderna: one in next-generation biotherapeutics, where she screened antibody targets, and another in infectious disease research.

At IPI, she’s already leading the charge for western blot antibodies — and continues to be a talented painter and gardener in her free time. Welcome, Swethika!

Scientist

Nirakar Basnet

Before joining IPI’s Antibody Production team, Nirakar Basnet worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, using cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography to study axon branch development. During his Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Germany, he demonstrated that the protein SSNA1 plays a key role in neuronal development and acts as a mechanism for microtubule branching. Basnet is originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, and can be heard mumbling songs as he works in the lab.

Research Associate

Sidrick Cameron

Sidrick Cameron II is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and a proud alumnus of Morehouse College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and neuroscience. After completing a master’s degree in applied biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, he joined Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology as an assistant scientist in the lab of David Ginty, studying the ion channel expression of different sensory neurons.

He is excited about the opportunity to contribute to the antigen engineering process at IPI and values the chance to make science more reproducible. What excites him most about IPI is advancing cutting-edge science in an environment where scientific curiosity and a high-throughput approach work hand in hand.

Sidrick loves reading scientific literature — the more complex, the better — and cannot live without Southern food (fried chicken, collard greens and candied yams).

Senior Scientist & Team Leader

Ruili Cao

Ruili Cao is a scientist with IPI’s Antibody Engineering and Production Team. She holds a Ph.D. in structural biology from Tsinghua University. Following her doctorate, she completed her postdoctoral training in the Blacklow Lab in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, where she deepened her expertise in protein biochemistry, structural biology and Notch signaling pathways.

At IPI, Ruili designs and executes experiments, troubleshoots assays and analyzes data to advance the antibody production pipeline. She is passionate about generating high-quality, reliable antibodies to support the scientific community.

Senior Accountant

Kathy Chen

Kathy Chen is responsible for purchasing supplies and equipment and performing accounting tasks such as preparing monthly journal entries, completing monthly prepaid expenses, payroll, and deferred reconciliations here at IPI. She has worked at IPI for two years, and loves that she can learn about procurement, accounting and the Institute.

Research Associate

Maisha Chowdhury

Maisha Chowdhury is a research associate on the Antibody Discovery team at IPI. On a typical day, she uses yeast display to identify the strongest pool of antibody sequences for priority targets and contributes to the development of new pipeline strategies and assays.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the City University of New York and then pursued a master’s in genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She has also broadened her knowledge across scientific disciplines through her work at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Metaphore Biotechnologies.

At IPI, Maisha is motivated by the opportunity to help partners advance their biomedical understanding by providing research-enabling proteins and tools.

Research Associate

Radhika Das

Radhika is a research associate with IPI’s antibody discovery and library design team, where she contributes to high-throughput discovery and screening efforts.

She holds a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology in India and a master’s in bioengineering from Northeastern University. In previous research roles at Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Absci, Radhika gained skills in plasmid design, protein expression, high-throughput automation and bispecific antibody production. At IPI, she’s looking forward to advancing the antibody discovery pipeline and helping to build impactful protein tools.

Research Associate

Paolo De Guzman

As a research associate with the neuroscience team at IPI, Paolo De Guzman spends his days developing cell-based assays, performing IHC and culturing neurons.

Paolo, who grew up in Canada, attended the University of Toronto, graduating with his bachelor’s in 2021 and his master’s in 2023. During his graduate studies, he worked with Karun Singh at the Krembil Brain Institute, using whole blood reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells to generate patient-derived brain organoids and using immunofluorescence for cellular analysis. He worked at Arena BioWorks before joining IPI, where he is now eager to learn more about proteins and antibody production.

In addition to his cell culture and stem cell expertise, Paolo is a keen cyclist who can be spotted riding his track bike everywhere, for all purposes, in all weather.

Senior Automation Scientist

Samuel Duvall

As a senior automation scientist at IPI, Samuel Duvall focuses on developing and validating laboratory methods, particularly high-throughput cloning and sequencing techniques. These advances help increase efficiency and improve reliability across IPI’s antibody discovery and protein production pipelines.

Sam received his bachelor’s in chemistry at Bethany College, near his hometown along the Ohio River, and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied bacterial signaling systems and protein scaffolds. Before joining IPI, he built experience in protein engineering, sequencing, assay development and automation at Conagen and Bullseye Biosciences. At IPI, he’s excited to help generate antibodies that advance basic biological research and support the Institute’s protein science education programs.

Lab Assistant & Procurement Specialist

Amiles Etienne

Lab assistant and procurement specialist Amiles Etienne is responsible for organizing biological equipment and sample orders at IPI. She also contributes to IPI’s sequencing projects, supports the optimization of DNA prep services and helps resolve pipeline bottlenecks.

Originally from Miami, Florida, Amiles completed her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2024. During her studies, she worked as a research technician in a molecular biology laboratory at The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Now based in Boston, she’s eager to expand her skills and grow with the organization.

Research Associate

Leo Fletcher

Leo Fletcher is a research associate at IPI with a bachelor’s in biological sciences from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master’s in wildlife biology from the State University of New York. Their research interests are diverse, ranging from the ADAM13 protein pathway and the physiology of little brown bats to functional and morphological immune defenses found in birds and reptiles. They have experience working as a field and laboratory technician at Lesley University and, most recently, as a laboratory scientist at Pfizer.

At IPI, Leo assists with antibody production and discovery — and happily fills any lull in conversation with a well-placed animal fact.

Principal Scientist & Team Leader

Anita Ghosh

Anita Ghosh studied and worked at Purdue University, Johns Hopkins University and Boston University. In her previous roles, she used structural, biochemical and biophysical methods to understand the roles proteins play in disease pathogenesis and drug resistance. Anita is from Kolkata, India and a movie that defined her childhood is Jaws.

Office Administrator

Dorian Gibson

Dorian Gibson is the office administrator at IPI, where he ensures the smooth and efficient functioning of our internal operations. He’s a team player who is enthusiastic about supporting IPI’s mission to accelerate research and improve human health.

Dorian has over 14 years of experience as a project and office manager in a variety of environments. When not providing all-around administrative and logistical support to IPI, Dorian can be found writing and producing new electronic/indie music or reciting Doctor Who episodes from memory.

IT Associate

Antoine Guglielmi

Antoine (Tony) Guglielmi is an IT associate at IPI. He provides technical and cybersecurity support to IPI personnel, helps to troubleshoot hardware and software issues and keeps all daily operations running smoothly.

Originally from France, Tony received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ithaca College and his master’s in business analytics from Babson College. He worked with a variety of organizations, including CPAs, property groups and accounting firms, before bringing his skill set to IPI. Here, he’s excited to gain hands-on experience and help build meaningful change.

In his downtime, you can find him sailing on the Charles River in central Boston.

Research Associate

Fabbiha Hossain

Fabbiha Hossain joins IPI as a research associate on the antigen production team. She holds a bachelor’s in biology from Boston University and has experience working in cell culture development, the genetics and evolution of fruit diversity and optometric patient care. Fabbiha is excited to dive into new research at IPI while using her downtime to read book series and make digital art.

Research Associate

Aditi Kachare

As a research associate with IPI’s biophysical characterization and validation team, Aditi Kachare performs biophysical experiments and quality control testing of human synthetic antibodies, cell surface receptors and ligands. From Mumbai, India, she holds two master’s degrees, one in life science from Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru and another in biotechnology from Northeastern University. Aditi previously worked as an upstream process development intern with Sangamo Therapeutics and in her recent co-op experience at Moderna, she supported ongoing antibody discovery projects by performing techniques including cell-based assays, FACS, SPR and BLI.

Research Associate

Minh Anh Kieu

Minh Anh Kieu joins IPI as a research associate on the Antibody Production team. She recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a master of engineering in bioengineering. Born in Russia and raised in Vietnam, Minh Anh completed her undergraduate degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she was a biomedical engineering teaching assistant and a student fellow manager. She is excited to join the Antibody Production team and use her studies to advance the mission of IPI.

Principal Scientist & Team Leader

Deepash Kothiwal

Deepash Kothiwal, originally from Kishangarh, India, joins IPI’s Antibody Discovery team from the Buratowski Lab at Harvard Medical School, where he was a postdoctoral fellow studying RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain phosphorylation. He completed his Ph.D. in the Laloraya Lab at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India, where he investigated the impact of cohesin dysfunction in cell wall defects in budding yeast. Kothiwal is drawn to the academic heart of IPI — which keeps his inner researcher alive in a fast-paced collaborative work environment.

Senior Scientist

Haiying Li

Haiying Li comes to IPI from Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where she worked as a research fellow. Previously, she was an assistant professor and director of the Multi-Omics Core Facility at ShanghaiTech University. Haiying is originally from China, completed her Ph.D. at the University of Southern Denmark and has lived in five countries in the past 10 years.

Project & Design Manager

Sabrina Liu

Sabrina Liu holds a master’s degree in digital media from Northeastern University and a master’s in nutrition sciences from Boston University. She helps design and grow the IPI brand and builds the user experience with all audiences in mind. Liu is from Taipei, Taiwan, and loves the creative inspiration that comes after a good walk in the sun.

Research Associate

Christopher Lowe

Research associate Christopher Lowe works on the lab automation team at IPI, helping to automate scientific processes at all stages of the pipeline, improve lab efficiency and play a part in the advancement of protein science. After getting his bachelor’s in chemical and biological engineering at Tufts University, he worked as a research associate at a pharmaceutical company, as a supervisor at a medical cannabis lab, and as the head distiller for a Philadelphia whiskey maker. In addition to enjoying whiskey, Christopher loves a good burrito — perhaps a lasting side effect of growing up near the original Chipotle in Denver, Colorado.

Research Associate

Robert May

Robert May is a research associate with the antibody discovery team at IPI. He conducts experiments to expand and test IPI’s yeast screening library against relevant antigens, and is excited to join IPI’s culture of collaboration and scientific discovery. He recently graduated with a bachelor’s in biology from Tufts University, where he researched microbial ecology in the cheese rind microbiome as part of the Wolfe Lab and as a Laidlaw Foundation research fellow. In 2020, Robert took up knitting as a pandemic project and has already knitted 10 scarves to date!

Science Education Program Manager

Emily McMains

As the manager of IPI’s Science Education Program, Emily McMains works to develop learning opportunities in protein science for emerging scientists and the broader biomedical community. She has ample experience engaging high schoolers, undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty communities in life science research, professional development, research mentorship, leadership training and STEM programming.

Emily comes to IPI with a background in neurophysiology and developmental genetics, having completed a Ph.D. in biology at Louisiana State University and a postdoc in developmental biology and regeneration at the University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Louisiana, she’s lived in eight U.S. states and visited all but Alaska, but calls Massachusetts home.

Human Resource Manager

Sarah Merry

Before IPI, Sarah Merry was the executive assistant to the Chair of the Genetics Department at Harvard Medical School. Three fun facts about her: she loves British history, has two Tonkinese cats and enjoys audiobooks — she has over 400 in her library!

Scientist

Allan Mills

From Vancouver, Canada, scientist Allan Mills believes every day should be an opportunity to discover something new. At IPI, he grows and transfects cells, purifies proteins and analyzes results as part of the antigen production team.

Allan obtained his masters and Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from The University of British Columbia, before conducting postdoctoral research at the Centre de Biochimie Structurale in Montpellier, France, and joining the Broad Institute as a research scientist working on gene editing delivery using Adeno-Associated Virus.
Outside of the lab, Allan also co-founded a clean water solutions startup, Carbonet Nanotechnologies, and embraces his identity as a sci-fi nerd.

Scientist

Alex Morano

Alexander Morano is a scientist on IPI’s antibody validation and characterization team. At IPI, he transfects cells, screens antibodies using immunofluorescence, performs quantitative analysis to determine antibody efficacy and negligible cross-reactivity, generates antibody data for prospective customers, and much more.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Alex completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona before doing a Ph.D. in biological and biomedical science in the Dvorin Lab at Harvard University. During his doctorate, he expanded the microscopy capabilities of his lab, optimized genetic and optical technologies for use in Plasmodium falciparum, and furthered research to aid in the discovery of novel antimalarials. His move to IPI was partly inspired by the limitations he encountered in using commercialized antibodies — now, he’s excited to help fill those gaps!

Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

Hoan Nguyen

Hoan Nguyen is a senior bioinformatics scientist at IPI. He plays a key role in designing an efficient computational biology platform at IPI. Hoan, originally from Vietnam, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics and computer science. During his Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of Strasbourg, he constructed and analyzed a vast astronomical dataset from satellites and virtual observatories. Since then, he’s spent nearly 20 years applying these skills to biological questions at IGBMC Strasbourg, The Jackson Laboratory, Twist Bioscience and Rutgers University.

His ability to innovate at the intersection of computational science, NGS bioinformatics and multi-omics data analytics is motivated by a large cup of coffee each morning and a love of intense action movies.

Scientist & Program Manager

Nilisha Pokhrel Mashock

As the scientist and program manager at IPI, Nilisha Pokhrel Mashock plays an essential role in the management of the IPI pipeline and the high-throughput production, characterization and formulation of recombinant antibodies. The Kathmandu native completed her Ph.D. at Wisconsin’s Marquette University, focusing on DNA-protein interactions and the generation of fluorescently labeled DNA-binding proteins to identify domain-specific inhibitors during high-throughput drug screenings. After a postdoc at New England Biolabs, Nilisha headed to Sail Biomedicines to optimize bioanalytical and cell-based assays for circular RNA research and then to Aera Therapeutics to develop innovative protein production techniques. She’s excited to accelerate research and discovery at IPI.

Research Associate

Nick Petrunich

Nick Petrunich, a research associate at IPI, assists with quality control at IPI and runs tests to ensure antibody stability through different time points and stress treatments.

Nick grew up near Burlington, Vermont, and received his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from the University of Vermont. He graduated with a master’s in bioinformatics from Boston University in 2025, where he honed his skills in ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analysis, genomic data visualization and Flask-based microbial metabolic modeling. At IPI, he enjoys being part of an Institute that is focused solely on advancing reagent quality for the scientific community.

Nick is also an experienced baker, having spent time assisting his grandfather at the family’s 115-year-old bread bakery in upstate New York.

Associate Director of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics

Prabakaran Ponraj

Prabakaran Ponraj joins IPI as the associate director of computational biology and bioinformatics, bringing decades of experience in biotherapeutics design and optimization, AI/ML driven biologics discovery and protein engineering.

He earned his Ph.D. in physics from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, near his hometown of Thanjavur, India, and began his career with postdoctoral fellowships at RIKEN and the National Cancer Institute. He has since worked with The Duke Human Vaccine Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Leidos, Intrexon Corporation and Sanofi. His accomplishments include engineering a patented single-domain CD4 HIV inhibitor, determining the first X-ray structure of a SARS-CoV antibody complex and publishing more than 70 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, reviews and patents.

At IPI, Prabakaran is shaping scientific strategy, advancing platform development and driving innovation in computational biology through AI/ML for antibody discovery, protein engineering and data integration.

Research Associate

Karunya Rajaraman

Karunya Rajaraman, a research associate on the antigen production team, is originally from Coimbatore, India, but recently graduated with her master’s in biotechnology from Northeastern University. She has previous intern experience at Verve Therapeutics, GH Labs and the National University of Singapore, and worked as a research assistant at Northeastern.

At IPI, she conducts experiments to express, purify and characterize antigens, troubleshoots any lab issues, and analyzes protein data — but only after she has had her prized morning coffee, of course.

Lab Assistant

Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a lab assistant at IPI, performing DNA preps and sequencing, maintaining the lab space and assisting the scientific team as needed.

They recently graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s in applied sciences and minors in physics and chemistry. During their studies, they explored the intersection of biology, chemistry and physics, and worked as a chemistry laboratory technician running multiple organic and inorganic chemistry experiments daily.

Now part of IPI’s close-knit team, the New York state-native — who once appeared on Beyoncé’s website — is excited to expand their experience in biotechnology and antibody development.

Senior Manager, Antibody Distribution

Travis Riedel

Travis Riedel is the scientific database curator at IPI. He collects, annotates and validates IPI scientific data, and organizes these data to enable computational queries and on-demand reporting. He is originally from Salina, Kansas, but he completed his Ph.D. and M.B.A. at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he researched human 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate aldolase, an enzyme involved in hydroxyproline metabolism and kidney stone disease. When not thinking about data, Travis can be found cycling or watching professional cycling races.

Senior Automation Engineer

Eloy Salinas

Eloy Salinas is a senior automation engineer at IPI, where he supports high-throughput lab operations by translating manual assays into automated workflows and resolving issues with liquid handling systems. Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Eloy holds a bachelor’s in robotics engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He brings experience from Generate:Biomedicines, Kawasaki Robotics, and Seagate Technology, with expertise in robotics design, hardware development, and software engineering.

Outside of work, he’s a dedicated backpacker, often spending weeks at a time outdoors, and he annually revisits the extended editions of his favorite Middle-earth films.

Research Associate

Marcus Sandaire

Marcus Sandaire is a research associate at IPI, where he conducts quality control of recombinant antibodies using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, with a bachelor’s in biochemistry, Marcus brings hands-on experience from an internship at Merck and research in Dr. Daniel Dowling’s lab.

He’s excited to contribute to IPI’s cutting-edge research and collaborate with a team passionate about antibody discovery. Outside of the lab, Marcus enjoys watching soccer and sharpening his chess skills.

Principal Scientist

Celine Santiago

Principal scientist Celine Santiago is a cellular and molecular biologist with a strong background in neuroscience. She has focused her career on uncovering the mechanisms that guide nervous system formation. At IPI, she develops in vitro assays to test antibodies in neurons and contributes to building research tools that advance neuroscience.

Celine earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and cell biology at Rice University before completing her Ph.D. in Greg Bashaw’s lab at the University of Pennsylvania. There, she used the Drosophila embryo as a model system to identify regulatory relationships between genes critical for motor neuron development and nervous system wiring. She went on to a postdoctoral fellowship in David Ginty’s lab at Harvard Medical School, where she studied how skin target identities and neuronal activity drive the maturation of primary sensory neurons responsible for detecting gentle touch in mice.

She is excited to join IPI’s multidisciplinary team and contribute to the development of transformative tools that enable researchers to ask new questions.

Senior Lab Operations Manager

Sophea Sann-Rorth

With a wealth of experience designing and optimizing high-throughput production pipelines and automated workflows, Sophea Sann-Rorth works as IPI’s senior lab operations manager. She holds a bachelor’s in chemistry management from Simmons University and has worked to enhance efficiency and scalability at companies including Ginkgo Bioworks, Orna Therapeutics, LifeMine Therapeutics, Gen9Bio and Beckman Coulter.

She is excited to contribute to IPI’s mission and work alongside a talented team. Outside of work, Sophea enjoys taking group trips with her in-laws and consuming her favorite rice-based dishes.

Information Technology Manager

Stephen Sousa

Stephen Sousa is an IT professional with 26 years of IT experience and 20 years of experience implementing technology solutions. Before IPI, he worked as the IT manager at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Poverty Action Lab, and as a senior database programmer and analyst at the Archdiocese of Boston.

Research Associate

Shreya Srinivasan

Shreya Srinivasan, a research associate at IPI, is originally from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and a master’s degree in biotechnology from Northeastern University.

Before joining IPI, she completed an analytical development co-op at Sanofi, focusing on mRNA integrity assays and product characterization, and worked as a research assistant at Northeastern, studying exosome-based drug delivery. She comes with experience in mammalian cell culture, RNA integrity assessment, chromatography and advanced imaging.

At IPI, Shreya works on the Antigen Engineering team, where she expresses, purifies and characterizes antigens used for downstream antibody discovery. She is excited to contribute to cutting-edge science in a collaborative and innovative environment. Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking and is an avid reader.

Finance & Accounting Controller

Ryan Toffey

Ryan Toffey is the controller at IPI, where he reviews financial planning and performance, works with vendors and helps the team to research and resolve any fiscal questions. He is a CP, earned his MSA and MBA from Suffolk University and has decades of experience in business finance and accounting.

Ryan is instrumental to IPI’s success, and he’s happy to lend support to a dynamic team committed to growth and dedicated to advancing protein science and research.

Lab Assistant

Joshua Ushkurnis

Lab assistant Joshua Ushkurnis is critical in making sure scientists have the equipment and materials needed for success. He received his bachelor’s in public health and health science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, before working as a nursing assistant in a long-term care facility and as a senior community support specialist with North Suffolk Mental Health Association. Now, he’s excited to explore the biotechnology industry through IPI. Ushkurnis grew up in Boston — loving pasta, watching Food Network and visiting family in Italy every summer.

Benchling Developer

Pranav Vishwanath

As a Benchling developer at IPI, Pranav Vishwanath automates data pipelines for our scientists and ensures all data is stored, organized and accessible. He did his undergrad in mechanical engineering at Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, India, then completed a master’s in data analytics engineering at Northeastern University, just down the road.

During his master’s, he interned with the IPI commercial team, helping compile and analyze antibody data. He’s excited by the diverse set of challenges and learning opportunities that can be found at IPI.

Associate Director

Haisun Zhu

Before joining IPI, Haisun Zhu was a principal scientist at Novo Nordisk Research Center in China, where he developed antibodies and biologics to treat hemophilia and diabetes. One antibody he discovered is currently in clinical trials. A fun fact: Haisun once put together a 6,000-piece jigsaw puzzle in three months — it covered his entire living room floor.

Principal Scientist

Shaotong Zhu

Shaotong Zhu comes to IPI from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she worked as a postdoc, studying the structure and function of human neurotransmitter receptors. A fun fact about Shaotong: she reads her horoscope every week.

Chair

Samantha Singer

Samantha Singer is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures and President and CEO of Abata Therapeutics. She previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Broad Institute and, before that, was an executive at Biogen. Singer also served as an Independent Director on the Board for Rodin Therapeutics, until the company was acquired by Alkermes.

Steven C. Almo, Ph.D.

Steven C. Almo, Ph.D., is professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and professor of physiology and biophysics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of structural biology and immunology. His lab has been at the center of advancing high-throughput methods for expressing proteins, determining their structure and interrogating their function as well as developing innovative receptor-ligand de-orphaning platforms. Steve is also a co-founder and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Cue Biopharma.

David Baker, Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Washington; Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Stephen Blacklow, MD, Ph.D.

Stephen Blacklow, MD, Ph.D., is the Gustavus Adolphus Pfeiffer Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, and a member of the Department of Cancer Biology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Research led by Blacklow’s team has shown how cell surface receptors can convey a developmental signal directly from one contacting cell surface to the next and then from the membrane to the nucleus. He has elucidated key molecular events in Notch signal transduction, a conserved cell-cell communication system that influences cell fate decisions in all metazoan organisms, and that is frequently hijacked as an oncogenic driver in human leukemia. His research on the Notch pathway has led to the development of new investigational therapies for hematologic malignancies such as T cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

Dr. Blacklow received his MD and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1991, completed his residency in Clinical Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and carried out postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute with Dr. Peter S. Kim.

President and CEO

Kenneth Fasman, Ph.D.

Kenneth Fasman, formerly senior vice president for research at The Jackson Laboratory, joined IPI as president and CEO in 2022. After earning his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, he founded a bioscience laboratory systems company, BME Systems Inc., and went on to design and implement the original database for the groundbreaking Human Genome Project.

Fasman later pivoted to bioinformatics, drug discovery and research strategy, spending more than three decades with top pharmaceutical companies and nonprofit genomics institutes. Under his guidance, IPI takes on a three-fold mission to build resources, power discovery and enhance education within the protein science and biological research communities.

Maykin Ho, Ph.D.

Maykin Ho, Ph.D., retired as partner of Goldman Sachs & Co. after a 24 year-tenure, which included serving as advisory director of Global Healthcare Investment Banking and co-head of US Healthcare for Global Investment Research. She is a venture partner of Qiming Venture Partners and serves on the board of directors for Agios Pharmaceuticals, BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, Fibrogen, Neumora, Parexel International, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and, previously, Grail, Inc.

Auro Nair, Ph.D.

Auro Nair, Ph.D. is a partner at Digitalis Ventures, leading its Proving Ground efforts, focusing on the formation of new companies that deliver entrepreneurially driven solutions for unmet needs in life sciences and healthcare. Prior to joining Digitalis in June 2023, Nair was Executive Vice President of The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) and President of JAX® Mice, Clinical and Research Services (JMCRS). Over 16 years at JAX, he led the transformation of JMCRS from a $70 million to a $500 million annual revenue global enterprise. He has extensive experience leading change and creating value at the nexus of innovation and commercialization in complex organizations.

Amir Nashat, Ph.D.

Amir Nashat, Ph.D. is a managing partner at Polaris Partners and focuses on investments in healthcare. He currently represents Polaris as the director of eight biotechnology startup companies and has served as the director of seven others. He has been named to the Forbes Midas List of “Top 100 Venture Capitalists.”

Mike O’Hara

Mike O’Hara is a partner at Deloitte and leads its New England life sciences audit practice. He has extensive experience working in the healthcare industry and serves many private and public life sciences companies. Mike has been involved in many IPOs; mergers and acquisitions engagements; financial forecasting projects; and value-added projects related to accounting and financial reporting. He has also assisted his clients through product launches and rapid growth phases, including advising on financial and operational infrastructure challenges. In addition to his role as board member for IPI, Mike is the treasurer of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and an adjunct professor at Boston College.

Stephen Quake, Ph.D.

Stephen Quake, Ph.D., is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at Stanford University. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to science and is one of only two dozen scientists elected to all three National Academies. Previously he was the Head of Science at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (2022-2025), founding co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (2016-2022), Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2006-2016), and Professor at the California Institute of Technology (1996-2005).

Issi Rozen

Issi Rozen is a venture partner at GV, where he primarily focuses on the formation of new companies and early-stage investments. Issi is an experienced biotech executive and a serial entrepreneur who co-founded multiple startups, including GV portfolio company Verve Therapeutics. Previously, Issi spent a decade at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he was the Institute’s first chief business officer and a member of the executive leadership team. At the Broad, Issi led the creation of the Office of Strategic Alliances and Partnering and was responsible for developing innovative scientific and business collaborations, initiating and establishing new ventures around novel technologies, and overseeing strategy and licensing of the Institute’s intellectual property portfolio. Issi played a key role in the creation and spin-out of over 20 startups from the Institute. Prior to joining the Broad, Issi led strategy and business development efforts at a number of biotech companies. An accomplished jazz guitarist, Issi is also a former professor at Berklee College of Music. He earned his MBA at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Co-Founder

Timothy A. Springer, Ph.D.

Timothy A. Springer, Ph.D. is the Latham Family Professor at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. A world leader in structural biology and immunology, he is also a founder and private investor in ventures including LeukoSite, Scholar Rock, Morphic Therapeutic, Moderna Therapeutic, Editas Medicine, Selecta Biosciences and Ab Initio Biotherapeutics. His research and entrepreneurship have produced up to six FDA-approved drugs.

Rusty Williams, MD, Ph.D.

Lewis T. “Rusty” Williams, MD, Ph.D. is co-founder, chairman and CEO of Walking Fish Therapeutics, Inc., which launched in 2019. Prior to this, he founded and served as chairman and CEO of Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., a public biotechnology acquired by Amgen. He was a co-founder of Cor Therapeutics, a public biotechnology company acquired by Millennium. He held senior management positions and a board seat at Chiron Corporation, now known as Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. He held board seats at Beckman Coulter, Inc. and multiple additional public and private biotechnology companies.

Williams was a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and served as director of the University’s Cardiovascular Research Institution and Daiichi Research Center. Throughout his tenure at UCSF, he was an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Williams also has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where he trained in internal medicine and cardiology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Williams received a B.S. from Rice University and an M.D. and Ph.D. from Duke University, and has since served on the Board of Trustees of both institutions, as well as the Berklee College of Music.

Shuqi Chen, Ph.D.

Founder, Former CEO and Former Chairman of the Board at IQuum, Inc.; Former Vice President of Research and Development of Point of Care at Roche Molecular System.

George Church, Ph.D.

Founding Faculty and Synthetic Biology Lead at the Wyss Institute; Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School; Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT.

Richard Cummings, Ph.D.

Director of the National Center for Functional Glycomics and Professor of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

Eric Fischer, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School; Principal Investigator in the Department of Cancer Biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

K. Christopher Garcia, Ph.D.

Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and of Structural Biology at Stanford University School of Medicine; Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Michael Gladstone

Principal at Atlas Venture.

Stephen Harrison, Ph.D.

Giovanni Armenise-Harvard Professor of Basic Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital; Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

John Hastewell, DPhil

Former Head of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Biologics Center (NBC).

Brian Kobilka, MD

Hélène Irwin Fagan Chair in Cardiology and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Co-founder

Andrew Kruse, Ph.D.

Andrew Kruse, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. His lab is focused on the study of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and other transmembrane proteins. His team uses synthetic camelid antibodies, or nanobodies, as tools to study transmembrane signaling and has developed a nanobody library, now available for nonprofit research from Kerafast.

Alongside Timothy Springer, Kruse co-founded IPI in 2017 and Tectonic Therapeutic, three years later. He now serves on Tectonic’s board of directors.

Kruse earned his Ph.D. in structural biology under Brian Kobilka at Stanford University. He received an Amgen Young Investigator Award in 2019 and the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in 2017 for impactful early-career research.

Nilesh Kumar, MBA, Ph.D.

Partner at Novo Ventures (US), Inc.

Judy Lieberman, MD, Ph.D.

Chair of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital; Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Harvey F. Lodish, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering at MIT; Founding Member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research; Co-Founder of Genzyme, Arris Pharmaceuticals, Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Rubius.

Debora Marks, Ph.D.

Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School.

Werner Meier

Chief Scientific Officer at Revitope Oncology; Former Vice President of Biologics Drug Discovery at Biogen.

Timothy Mitchison, Ph.D.

Hasib Sabbagh Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School.

Saurabh Saha, MD, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President of R&D and Global Head of Translational Medicine at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Arlene Sharpe, MD, Ph.D.

George Fabyan Professor of Comparative Pathology and Interim Co-Chair of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School;
Co-Director of the Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Will Somers, Ph.D.

Vice President of Global Biotherapeutic Technologies at Pfizer.

Ulrich von Andrian, MD, Ph.D.

Mallinckrodt Professor of Immunopathology at Harvard Medical School.

Christopher Walsh, MD, Ph.D.

Chief of the Division of Genetics at Boston Children’s Hospital; Bullard Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

Leonard I. Zon, MD

Grousbeck Professor of Pediatric Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Director of the Stem Cell Program at Children’s Hospital Boston; Co-Founder of Scholar Rock.