Young Investigators

Chair:
Doreen Badheka currently works as program director for special projects at Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Newark, NJ. In her current position Doreen is involved in developing platforms that enable graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to explore diverse career paths and develop relevant core competencies. In her current role she also serves as a liaison between the graduate school and various external organizations that include nonprofits, educational alliances and industry. She is passionate about advancement of basic and biomedical research as well as STEM education among younger generation. 

Lynne C. Baron is Manager, Global Regulatory Affairs at Shire Pharmaceuticals, with more than 9 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Before working within regulatory affairs, Ms. Baron did scientific research in R&D, chemical development and manufacturing for Momenta Pharmaceuticals then made a transition to operational excellence as a Principal Business Analyst for the Consent Decree Management Office at Genzyme. Ms. Baron graduated from the University of Redlands with degrees in chemistry and biology, Northeastern University with a M.S. in regulatory affairs focused on international regulations, and an MBA from Northeastern University D’Amore-Kim School of Business. Ms. Baron’s interests are innovations in science and their impacts on global policies. 

Kathleen M. Crowley is a social science researcher who specializes in organizational learning and change, and is a doctoral candidate at George Washington University in the Department of Human and Organizational Learning.  Ms. Crowley’s research focuses on critical theories around the inherent tension between process-driven management practices and the human factors of innovation.  Her current doctoral study explores the creativity of scientists who work in the early drug discovery R&D while in a highly coordinated and managed environment. In addition, Ms. Crowley is a published author and most recently, the recipient of the Association of Human Resource Development’s Book of the Year Award for Human Interactions, Processes, and Contexts: Reflections on the Past and Envisioning the Future (Eds.).

Satvik Gadamsetty is currently part of the Emerging Talent Rotational Program at Merck & Co. As part of the program, Satvik’s first rotation was in the Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) where he contributed to a variety of projects ranging from imaging biomarkers to health economics statistics, and modeling of vaccine outcomes. Currently, Satvik is in the Merck Manufacturing Division (MMD) applying analytics to solve challenges in the manufacturing and supply-chain space. Satvik graduated from the Rutgers University School of Engineering with a focus in Biomedical Engineering and certificates in Applied Mathematics and Psychology. During his undergraduate career, Satvik conducted research in the Department of Biomedical Engineering studying the effect of novel macromolecules and their use in cardiovascular medicine. Outside the workspace, Satvik is interested in scientific education, innovation in IT, and sport, specifically, football and tennis.

Dr. Leigh Greathouse is a registered dietician and currently a research fellow in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, and a former fellow in the Cancer Prevention Program at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD.  Her current research includes the mechanisms of obesity-related cancer and the host-microbiome relationship in cancer and inflammation. Dr. Greathouse received her M.S. from Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX (2001), M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (2011), and Ph.D. from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and University of Texas, Houston, TX (2010) in Molecular Carcinogenesis.

Jeffrey R. Harris, Ph.D. is Senior Scientist, Oncology Translational Research, at Janssen. He is a dedicated and innovative cell biologist with a passion for regenerative medicine and bringing cell therapy from preclinical animal models into the clinic.  He received a Masters (Management) and PhD (Molecular Cell Biology) from the University of Florida, and completed his postdoctoral training at Duke University. Previously he led a candidate immune cell therapy for the Preclinical Team as a Senior Scientist at Celgene Cellular Therapeutics.  In addition to his career aspirations of helping cure patients of debilitating disease using cell therapy, he has a passion for scientific education and connecting people. 

Crystal Kraft is currently Manager of Scientific Affairs at West Pharmaceutical Services. In this position, she drives generation of quality scientific studies and communications to support the company’s role as a leader in drug containment and delivery. She also utilizes her background in biology to better understand potential interactions between biologics and materials. She obtained a Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Thomas Jefferson University, where her research focused on the role of a particular receptor in adult stem cell regulation in the intestines. Prior to working towards a Ph.D., Crystal worked for Charles River Laboratories performing molecular and microbial tests on pharmaceutical products. Much of her spare time is dedicated to science education and outreach, with volunteer involvement in organizations such as the American Association for Cancer Research, Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research, and an event local to Philadelphia called Start Talking Science.

Devinn Lambert is currently a Ph. D. student at the Watson School of Biological Sciences, located within Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In 2013, Devinn was awarded the Gates Cambridge scholarship, a prestigious international award that selects postgraduate students with a capacity for leadership and a desire to improve the lives of others.  This scholarship supported her Masters degree in the Plant Sciences department at the University of Cambridge (UK).  Devinn has also conducted research in Singapore as an A*STAR SIPGA fellow.  In her undergraduate career at Rutgers University, she was the 2013 salutatorian for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and an awardee of the Goldwater Scholarship.  Devinnwas also a part of a Douglass Residential College, a women’s college within Rutgers University, and an intern for Bio-One, a federally funded program aimed to identify and promote bioscience in New Jersey.  Outside of her research, Devinn is interested in scientific education, communication, and policy.

Danielle Macario Ph.D. received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering as part of a joint program between Rutgers University and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey specializing in the field of Tissue Engineering. During her research, she formed a collaborative relationship with a medical device company, helping them to develop novel radiopaque polymeric stents. After graduation, she joined the Advanced Technologies group at Johnson & Johnson where she spent close to 5 years developing novel light therapy and microcurrent-based medical devices and running clinical studies to improve outcomes in the areas of wound healing, itch, inflammation, and pain.  Dr. Macario joined Schulman Associates in 2013 and currently serves as an affiliated Board Member.

Neha Nigam, Ph.D. is currently an associate at Harlem Biospace, working with one of the startup companies located at the incubator. She is also pursuing an internship at the Technology Transfer Office at Rockfeller University in New York City and Rutgers University, New Jersey. She is quite keen on the proceedings at a Technology Transfer Office and is passionate about the applied aspects of innovative scientific discoveries, striving to be at the interface of business and science. Previously, she has worked in the industry as an Analyst involved in competitive intelligence, strategic business analysis and commercialization of early innovations in several therapeutic areas.  Her foundation in life sciences comes from her Ph.D. in molecular biology from Vienna, Austria. Her Postdoc work was also in the same field at UCL, Belgium. She was working on molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress responses in plants and published some insightful research from her work in both the places. Dr. Nigam was awarded with scholarships and fellowships throughout her study and presented her work at several international conferences.