Experience

Affini-T Therapeutics (Watertown, MA)

Associate Director: Precision and Translational Medicine and Computational Biology
December 2021 – Present

  • Led multidisciplinary initiatives at a cell and gene therapy start-up, successfully driving translational and computational strategies supporting AFNT-211, a multi-site single-arm TCR-T clinical trial in solid tumors.
  • Led a diverse Computational team of 1 FTE, 3 contractors, 2 associated Discovery scientists, 2 academic consultants, and multiple vendors.
  • Integrated and harmonized complex multi-source clinical, translational, and manufacturing data types, including EDC, CMC, ctDNA, PK/PD, flow cytometry, scRNA-seq, and cytokines.
  • Designed and maintained interactive dashboards that increased trial data accessibility, stakeholder engagement, and decision making.
  • Developed statistical models to predict responses based on enrollment criteria and improve patient trial response rates.
  • Conducted site visits engaging clinical investigators, leading to increased in enrollment rates and enhanced site feedback incorporation.
  • Contributed patient population analysis based on preclinical experiments for inclusion in IND filings.
  • Created a novel patient population estimation algorithm based on HLA and mutation frequencies (see Roy2025 for HLA component).
  • Leveraged public and proprietary datasets to assess HLA Loss of Heterozygosity impacts on therapy efficacy (see Poster).
  • Architected and maintained a multi-account AWS cloud infrastructure supporting both Discovery and Clinical programs.
  • Championed deployment of computational workflow management systems enabling scalable, reproducible analysis pipelines.
  • Supported Discovery and Prelinical activities from 2021–2024, and after a RIF, insured continuity and knowledge retention.
  • Led efforts in TCR sequencing analysis and novel target identification (oncogene antigens, private neoantigens, ncRNAs, cryptic peptides).

Takeda Oncology (Cambridge, MA)

Principal Scientist: Discovery Translational Science and Computational Oncology
October 2017 – December 2021

  • Directed Computational Oncology support for multiple cell therapy discovery projects.
  • Collaborated closely with cell therapy teams to design and analyze preclinical translational experiments, informing clinical strategy.
  • Led pilot evaluations of spatial transcriptomics platforms, informing technology adoption across Discovery.
  • Managed three direct reports, fostering skill development and productivity improvements.
  • Spearheaded optimization of cell therapy combinations involving armoring, target selection, platform delivery, and patient population stratification (Project “Square”).
  • Identified novel cell therapy targets with an emphasis on clinical relevance and competitive landscape.
  • Played key role in interview panels and onboarding, enhancing team cohesion and technical ramp-up.
  • Integrated public and proprietary genomic and proteomic datasets to identify tumor-associated antigens uniquely overexpressed in lung cancer.
  • Supported GI-DDU scientists with RNA-Seq and scRNA-Seq dataset analyses and external therapeutic platform designs.
  • Developed, validated, and disseminated single-cell RNA-seq pipelines, enabling reproducible data analysis across platforms.
  • Founded and led internal working group focused on scRNA-seq technology awareness and best practices.
  • Revitalized scientific computing environments, facilitating cloud migration and elastic resource scaling.
  • Oversaw NGS outsourcing operations for multiple teams, ensuring cost efficiency and data quality.
  • Core team member piloting Apple MacBooks deployment across Discovery, supporting IT transition.

Ohana Biosciences/VL34 Inc (Cambridge, MA)

Senior Scientist, Computational Biology
October 2016 – October 2017

  • Provided foundational scientific analysis culminating in publication in Science.
  • Designed and implemented AWS-based collaborative computing environments for large-scale genomics.
  • Performed exome sequencing of key commercial dairy bulls to identify novel tissue-specific protein isoforms.
  • Developed scalable pipelines for transcript reconstruction and whole chromosome haplotype phasing across species.
  • Led multi-species genomic analyses interpreting whole genome, exome, and single-cell sequencing.
  • Assembled tissue- and cell-type-specific transcriptomes integrating publicly available datasets.
  • Integrated RNA-Seq data from >15 distinct bovine tissues to generate comprehensive gene and transcript annotations.
  • Fostered relationships with dairy farmers innovating in cattle genetics, integrating phenotype and genotype datasets.
  • Developed candidate evaluation portals integrating multi-omic data to optimize candidate selection efficiency.

Takeda Oncology (Cambridge, MA)

Scientist 2, Computational Biologist
October 2014 – October 2016

  • Advanced oncology small molecule drug development using HTS data from public and in-house sources.
  • Conducted comprehensive bioinformatic assessments covering expression profiles, indication suitability, mutations, and other omic features.
  • Identified early translational strategies applying tool molecule responses across hundreds of cell lines.
  • Selected translationally appropriate in vitro and in vivo models for target validation.
  • Conducted genome-wide screening for antibody drug conjugate targets.
  • Analyzed treatment-induced differential gene expression in models.
  • Enhanced department-wide computational biology capabilities with command-line and cloud computing adoption.

Voyager Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA)

Consultant, Computational Biology Vector Design Group
June 2014 – October 2014

  • Built AWS cloud-based computational biology HTS analysis environment.
  • Directed AAV vector design leveraging public small RNA-Seq datasets.
  • Analyzed and interpreted company-generated HTS data.

Graduate School (Worcester, MA)

Graduate Student
See Education for details. September 2007 – June 2014

Genzyme (Framingham, MA)

Research Associate, Bioanalytical Development Group
April 2004 – September 2007

  • Developed GLP/GMP biochemical assays for recombinant protein clinical trials.
  • Engineered HPLC assays for protein glycosylation quantification.
  • Developed qPCR assays to monitor viral contamination in production cell lines.

Research Intern, Bioanalytical Development Group
Summer 2003

  • Supported preclinical and clinical research via IEF assays and ELISAs.

Achillion Pharmaceuticals (New Haven, CT)

Research Internship
Summer 2002

  • Conducted ELISAs and cell culture supporting small molecule screening.