B-SoCCS 2019

Christopher Folts, PhD

Research Scientist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Christopher Folts, Ph.D., is a research scientist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. His background is in neuroscience and stem cell biology, with graduate and postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Kelan Hlavaty, PhD

Senior Scientist at SQZ Biotechnologies

Kelan Hlavaty is a Senior Scientist at SQZ Biotechnologies, where she engineers B and T cells to function as antigen presenting cells in the development of a cell-based cancer vaccine. Prior, Kelan was a postdoctoral scholar at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) in the Immuno-Oncology department working on CAR T cell therapies. Kelan completed her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University designing immune-modifying biomaterial scaffolds and nanoparticles for tolerance in transplantation and autoimmune disease.  When not performing exciting experiments in the lab, she enjoys trying new cooking recipes, spending time outdoors, reading thought-provoking books, and, as a new(ish) resident of the Boston area, exploring New England.

Riadh Lobbardi, PhD

Scientist I at Blueprint Medicines

After getting his PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics in Paris, France, Riadh did his postdoc training at MGH working on T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia for 5.5 years. While he sharpened my skillset and learned a lot, Riadh wanted to have an impact in patient life. He is now a Scientist at Blueprint Medicines in the Translational Medicine group, where his role goes from developing a PD assay to setting up a protocol for clinical trial where he is interacting with multiple groups such as Biology, Regulatory affairs among others.

Kelly Miller, PhD

Scientist at Glycosyn LLC

Kelly Miller is a scientist at Glycosyn LLC in Woburn, MA where she engineers bacteria (as mini factories) to produce unique bioactive sugars found in human milk; these sugars have been demonstrated to support development of a healthy gut microbiota. She earned her Ph.D. in Michelle Dziejman’s laboratory at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry studying how the bacterial pathogen Vibrio cholerae causes disease. To gain more experience in the host response to bacterial infection, Kelly joined Marcia Goldberg’s laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital as a postdoctoral fellow. During her postdoc, Kelly realized that she missed researching bacteria and that she wanted her next step to be in a more translational setting, both of which she has attained at Glycosyn LLC.

Erik Rocheford, MS

director, business development at stratacuity

Erik Rocheford leads Stratacuity’s business development efforts for new and existing relationships. Having worked several years as an early discovery in-vivo pharmacologist as well as in a sales/science hybrid role at a preclinical CRO, Erik has a deeper scientific knowledge than many. He has earned a reputation for providing outstanding client service and his team is known for placing high-quality talent while paying attention to the smallest detail of every staffing assignment. His vast referral network and local market expertise have allowed him to become a trusted resource of Boston’s biopharmaceutical hub. Erik is passionate about new trends in the drug discovery community and enjoys contributing to team growth and overall workplace efficiency. Outside of work he is a happily addicted year-round surfer and enjoys spending time with his wife, two kids, and two dogs living it up here on the beautiful seacoast.