Ivan Asiimwe
Class of 2022
Employer: Genus IntelliGen
Title: Systems Technician

Robert Baranowski
Class of 2022
Employer: Baranowski Associates, LLC
Title:

Clayton Beckstrom
Class of 2022
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Project Support Coordinator

Clayton is a graduate of UW-Platteville where he received his bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in forensic investigation. He currently works at Exact Sciences as a Workflow Coordinator where he works with a variety of different teams to assure that equipment and staffing is optimized. A good part of Clayton’s job is spent troubleshooting issues that the teams encounter in effort to optimize all processes encountered by staff. Clayton also brings with him experience gained as a Transportation Specialist with the Wisconsin Army national Guard.

Clayton plans on using the lessons learned from the M.S. in Biotechnology to further his career at Exact Sciences and affecting positive change for both scientists as well as patients.

Andreas Endresen
Class of 2022
Employer:
Title:

James Farmer
Class of 2022
Employer: Vascugen
Title: Research Associate

Samantha Foti
Class of 2022
Employer: Aldevron
Title: Scientist I, Quality Control

Melissa Freeman
Class of 2022
Employer: Genus IntelliGen
Title: Research Technician

What interested you to join the M.S. in Biotechnology Program?
"I want to further my career at Genus IntelliGen Technologies and develop my skill set by learning leadership and project management."

What do you hope to gain by completing the program?
"I want to learn project management skills I can eventually apply to leading my own team; patent law and how patents affect future developments; and business fundamentals that I can use within my biotechnology career."

Ashley Hallfrisch
Class of 2022
Employer: Catalent
Title: Assistant Scientist, Analytical Development

Celestine Kigen
Class of 2022
Employer: AveXis
Title: Bioprocess Engineer

Crystal Klas
Class of 2022
Employer: Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
Title: Associate Scientist II

Brian Lopez
Class of 2022
Employer: Thermo Fisher Scientific
Title: Sales Representative

Ilenn Lopez
Class of 2022
Employer:
Title: Manufacturing Associate

Katie Meling
Class of 2022
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Lead Certified Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Joseph Mozuch
Class of 2022
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Study Technician

Hai Nguyen
Class of 2022
Employer: MilliporeSigma
Title: cGMP Manufacturing Scientist

Eryn Opgenorth
Class of 2022
Employer: Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Title: Associate Microbiologist

Avni Patel
Class of 2022
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Study Technician, Pathology

Luke Purtell
Class of 2022
Employer: Genus IntelliGen
Title: Research Technician

Sergio Romero
Class of 2022
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Business Integration Partner

Serge graduated with a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology at Columbia University after completing bachelor degrees in Economics, Chinese, and Asian Studies at UW-Madison. He also received his post-baccalaureate certificate in Stem Cell Technologies at Madison College. Serge currently is a business integration partner at Exact Science in the Organization Engineering Department where he leads and advises on major transformations and is active in helping to design a more change agile organization. Transformations include the following: M&A, brand transformation, organization design, integrating new functional areas, and enterprise system transformation (E.g. SAP and Epic).

Before joining Exact Sciences, Serge was a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton serving the federal markets and a managing consulting at IBM serving global clients undergoing digital transformations.

Serge is passionate about the many potential clinical applications of biotechnology. His goal with the program is to further his understanding of the science underlying biotechnologies and the complex environment in which they are regulated, produced, and commercialized.

Erich Scheidel
Class of 2022
Employer: JangoBio
Title: Lab Manager

Phillip Schneider
Class of 2022
Employer: UW-Madison, Dept of Medical History and Bioethics
Title: Research Assistant

Hannah Schopp
Class of 2022
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Bioanalytical Chemistry Analyst

Randall Specht
Class of 2022
Employer: CAI
Title: Project Manager

Aidan Stuckert
Class of 2022
Employer: Genus IntelliGen
Title: Media Prep Technician

Alex Williams
Class of 2022
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Study Technician

Ahmed Ahmed
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Study Technician

Ahmed received his bachelor's degree in biology with an emphasis in healthcare science from UW-Oshkosh. He currently works at Covance Laboratories as a Study Technician where he runs study specific protocols for clients. Ahmed is also a Certified Nursing Assistant, and worked as a care giver and problem solver at St. Mary's Care Center. He is able to use this experience as he also serves as the human resource manager at his family's home care business.

Ahmed is interested in learning how new technologies and innovations in biotechnology come to market, and ultimately play a significant role in the process to affect a positive change in peoples' lives.

Lindsay Baird
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Study Technician 2, Metabolism-InLife

Lindsay graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a concentration in animal biology. She currently works at Covance Laboratories as a Study Technician 2 in the Metabolism-InLife department where she is responsible for the collection and documentation of data in the areas of animal observations, test material administration, and clinical sample collections. She is also authorized to handle radioactive materials and collect samples. Lindsay’s work at Covance has increased her interest in working with a wide variety of animal species, making sure that safety measures are met, and why she wants to become a more skilled researcher.

Lindsay’s expects to utilize the theories and practice from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program and apply it directly as she becomes more involved in study direction and a principle investigator.

Alexandra Bess
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Analyst I

Alexandra is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in biohemistry and a minor in Chemistry. She is currently working as an Analyst I at Covance Laboratories, where she performs chemical testing of in-house products and learning the specifics of early research and development requirements to bring a product to market.

Alexandra’s goal in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program includes focusing on project design with the intent to bring products to market by thoughtfully bringing together the pillars of science, business, and the law.

Manika Clemente
Class of 2021
Employer: Promega Corporation
Title: Formulations Scientist 1

Manika graduated from Wheaton College with a bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish. She currently works at Promega Corporation as a Formulation Scientist 1. At Promega, Manika is involved in the manufacture of a variety of products used both in-house as well as dispensed for customers. Prior to working at Promega, Manika spent time with working in Bio-Ag industry having worked at Applied Biotech Industries, the R&D facility of Bio-Green Planet.

Manika hopes to learn more about the cutting-edge of technological advancements in the biotechnology industry. She plans on developing her skills and take on a managerial role.

Jennifer Dennin
Class of 2021
Employer: Invenra
Title: Senior Research Associate II

Jennifer received her bachelor’s degree in biomolecular science from UW-Oshkosh. She currently works at Invenra, Inc as a Senior Research Associate II where she works as part of the NGS and Molecular Biology teams and trains new associates on cloning and molecular biology techniques. As part of the Molecular Biology team, she focuses on reformatting phage display hits, cloning protein targets’ DNA into expression vectors, and preparing phage libraries.

Jennifer expects that the diverse knowledge and skills gained from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to expand upon her leadership experiences and play a larger role in the higher level decision making processes that happen as a project lead.

Christopher Douglas
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Research Assistant I, Dose Analysis

Christopher graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. He currently works as a Research Assistant at Covance Laboratories where analyzes dose formulations to confirm drug concentrations and stabilities in effort to ensure the safety of prospective drugs.

Christopher believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow him to transition his career path into early drug development and his interest in understanding protein networks and identifying disease mechanisms for target discovery.

Paul Fenner
Class of 2021
Employer: Promega Corporation
Title: Production Scientist II

Paul received his bachelor’s degree in Biology with a chemistry minor from UW-River Falls. He currently works at Promega in the Fermentation Department as a Production Scientist II where he conducts quality testing for all of the competent cell products. He also is involved in inventory control and updating manufacturing and quality control procedures. Paul’s first job in fermentation was working as a brewer at Potosi Brewing Company.

Paul expects that he will be able to apply the skills and experiences from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program to further his career in operations as a production scientist in the fermentation department, or perhaps shift to transition into research and development.

Victor Jarjue
Class of 2021
Employer: Gentueri, Inc.
Title: Associate Product Manager

Victor is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee with a degree in Biomedical Sciences with a sub-major in Medical Laboratory Science. Victor moved into the commercial biotechnology industry as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at Exact Sciences after beginning his career as a Medical Laboratory Scientist at the VA Hospital.

Victor is passionate about designing and developing clinical laboratory products. He knows the interdisciplinary course work at M.S. in Biotechnology will allow him to pursue a career in innovation.

While completing his degree, Victor transitioned from Exact Sciences to Gentueri, a startup company developing improved ways to collecting non-invasive biological samples, where he was hired as Production Supervisor.

With the awarding of his MS in Biotechnology degree, Victor's advancement at Gentueri has continued. He recently was promoted to Associate Product Manager, a position enabling him to develop and refine new clinical laboratory products, thus satisfying a primary goal that motivated him to began the MS in Biotechnology two years earlier.

Robel Kebede
Class of 2021
Employer: Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene
Title: Senior Chemist, Environmental Health Division

Robel has dual bachelor degrees in microbiology and neurobiology from UW-Madison. He currently works as a Senior Chemist in the environmental health division at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene where he analyzes various organic contaminants in environmental samples.

Robel plans on using his MS Biotechnology degree to advance his career and contribute to WSLH at a larger capacity than his current role. He is also interested in providing life science products, medical devices, instrumentation, and technologies in a cost-effective and efficient manner to developing countries.

Erin Klipstein
Class of 2021
Employer: DuPont Nutrition and Health
Title: Nutrition & Health Project and Portfolio Manager

Erin received her bachelor’s degree at UW-Whitewater and has several certificates in leadership and project management under her belt. She currently works at DuPont Nutrition and Health as a Project and Portfolio Manager where she leads a number of internal stakeholders and customers to plan, execute and control innovation projects from ideation through launch.

Erin is looking to earning her M.S. in Biotechnology degree in order to mover her career forward by expanding her knowledge and becoming a key contributor to the biotechnology industry, particularly in the areas of Probiotics and Microbiome Science.

John Lemmon
Class of 2021
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Production Associate II

John is a UW-Madison graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He currently is a Production Associate II at Exact Sciences where he has been use his problem solving skills not only to assure that quality standards in the lab are met, but also led the development of an inventory master calculator, which has been used to monitor materials, and allow for better negotiation of expenses.

John sees the M.S. in Biotechnology Program as a unique opportunity to fuel his professional growth and becoming a leader in the industry in effort to develop and utilize innovative solutions that improve our health and environment.

Herfrank Loyo
Class of 2021
Employer: ABS Global
Title: Karyotyping Lab Technician

Herfrank (Frank) received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology at Coe College. He currently works at a University of Iowa Research Laboratory where he is part of the cell culture team, caring for hiPSCs to develop hole brain and cortical spheroid organoids for experimental use.

Frank expects that his work in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will foster his aspirations of becoming a stem cell biologist and work to develop and contribute to the burgeoning stem cell industry in effort to help patients in the need of transplants.

Nikunj Makwana
Class of 2021

Nikunj graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Mithibai College at the University of Mumbai, India, and received a post-graduate diploma in bioinformatics from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of IT and Biotechnology at Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Pune, India. He has taken a number of internships in Mumbai including working for the National Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

Nikunj is looking forward to learning how to further blend science, business, and regulatory aspects together as he pursues his quest to establish a biotechnology company.

Shahzeb Munir
Class of 2021
Employer: UW Health
Title: Internal Medicine Physician (Hospitalist)

Shahzeb earned his medical degree at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Romania, and while working at Mayo Health System also graduated with a master’s degree in public health. He currently holds a position of clinical assistant professor in the division of hospital medicine at UW-Madison.

Shahzeb expects that his studies in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow him to explore emerging genomic biotechnology and serve as the bridge among biotechnology and the healthcare system in terms identification, development, and policy making.

Trey Olson
Class of 2021
Employer: MilliporeSigma
Title: Production Scientist

Trey graduated from UW-Eau Claire with bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and Spanish. He currently works as a Production Chemist for Millipore Sigma where he focuses on safety and quality through cGMP standards. Prior to that, Trey practiced his leadership skills as an Assistant Manager at Culver’s.

Trey is looking forward to learning more about the business and law aspects of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical world and tying it all together as he continues to move his career path forward.

Apoorva Patil
Class of 2021

Apoorva graduated with a degree in biotechnology from Visvesvaraya Technological University. Her final project as Recombinant expression, purification, and activity of lipase enzyme from Bacillus substilis.

Apoorva believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology program will allow her to advance her experiences in science while expanding her management skills as she continues along her career path of becoming a leader in product development.

Sheena Prasad
Class of 2021
Employer: Roche Molecular Systems
Title: Clinical Research Associate II

Sheena received her bachelor’s degree in biological science honors program at the University of the Pacific. Currently, Sheena works at Roche Molecular Systems as a Clinical Research Associate II where she leads and coordinates studies for the post-launch evaluation of molecular diagnostic products in the areas of cancer genomics, point of care, and blood screening platforms.

Sheena expects to advance her skills as a Clinical Research Associate as she expands her knowledge and her biotechnology network. She hopes to take full advantage of not only the M.S. in Biotechnology Program faculty, but also other related areas of the University, including SMPH and more specifically the idea-to-product incubation through WARF as she becomes an executive leader in the biotechnology industry.

Kathryn Sauter
Class of 2021
Employer: Promega Corporation
Title: Program Specialist, Custom Products

Kathryn received her bachelor degree in biology and minors in business administration and music from St. Norbert College. She currently works as Promega Corporation as a Program Specialist in their Custom Products division where she develops relationships between internal and external customers. Kathryn has also served as a member of the Kaizen core team, this interdisciplinary global group focuses on evaluating processes and developing a more streamlined approach to maximize efficiencies.

Kathryn is interested in learning more about how the coursework intermingles in all aspects of the biotechnology industry and growing her biotechnology network. She believes that she will be able to utilize all of the lessons learned as she expands her career pathway into project management where she will be able to collaborate on a global scale.

Ted Savage
Class of 2021
Employer: Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene
Title: Senior Chemist, Toxicology Department

Ted earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry with ACS certification and a minor in mathematics from UW-LaCrosse. He currently works at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene in the toxicology department as a senior chemist where he performs drug screening and quantification for the state.

Ted believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow him to hone his current scientific skills and abilities and expand his knowledge in the areas of business and management that will allow him to be a leader in the area of drug use and abuse in a public health context. He is looking to partner with the biotechnology industry to formulate new and innovative ways to help people who are struggling with drug use and abuse.

Elisabeth Sequeira
Class of 2021
Employer: Catalent Pharma Solutions
Title: Associate Quality Control Stability

Elisabeth received a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology engineering with a concentration in bioprocesses from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. She currently is working as a quality control associate for stability at Catalent where she performs quality control testing under a variety of platforms.

Elisabeth plans on using her new knowledge and skills gained from the M.S. in Biotechnology program to further her career in the biopharmaceutical industry and becoming a project manager.

Garima Singh
Class of 2021

Garima graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences. She has been working in Singapore at Biolidics Ltd (formerly Clearbridge Biomedics Pte. Ltd) as an associate scientist where she serves as the project and technical lead for cellular and molecular assay development for identification and characterization of circulating tumor cells.

Garima feels fortunate to have already have been involved in the journey of a biotechnology company going from start up to a publicly listed company. She looks forward to being able to reach multiple milestones in her career pathway and become a leader in product development.

Amelia Stranz
Class of 2021
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Laboratory Manager

Amelia earned her bachelor’s degree in neurobiology and psychology from UW-Madison. She currently is the associate research specialist and lab manager for the Liu Lab at UW-Madison, Department of Surgery where she manages the mouse colony, performs surgical procedures, and trains both undergraduate and graduate students who work in the laboratory.

Amelia is interested in becoming part of the global aspects of the biotechnology industry. She expects that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program to be a crucial next step in her scientific career and becoming a leader project development and management.

Meghana Telugu
Class of 2021

Meghana graduated from Vignan’s Deemed to be University with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology. Upon graduation, she worked as a human resources executive for Infosys, a multinational corporation. It was here where she was involved in end-to-end recruitment and working with people.

Meghana expects that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to widen her horizons to become a research scientist in a commercial biotechnological organization.

Vanessa Voris
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Bioanalytical Study Coordinator

Vanessa graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in animal science. She currently is a Study Coordinator II, Level I in the bioanalytical chemistry department at Covance Laboratories where she is responsible for reviewing and compiling data for analytical reports through finalization. She works with a wide variety of team members in effort to coordinate and track the activities required to assure that study protocols are met.

Vanessa feels that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to learn more about how her current role fits into the grander scheme of study coordination as she becomes more effective liaison among the study team, other departments, and the client.

Hanna Weber
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Analytical Chemist

Hanna received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Iowa State University of Science and Technology. She currently is an analytical chemist at Covance Laboratories where she performs a variety of analytical extraction techniques for samples.

Hanna believes that M.S. in Biotechnology and the coupling of science with business and law aligns perfectly for her quest to becoming a strong leader in the biotechnology arena.