Ed Andjeski
- Principal Engineer
- Center for Breakthrough Medicine (CBM)
Ed is an accomplished Chemical Engineer with experience in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and petroleum industries. He attended Drexel University from 1982-1987 where he earned a BS in Chemical Engineering. His first job was with Mobil (now Exxon Mobil) Oil Corporation where he worked as a Loss Prevention Supervisor and Field Safety Advisor to Marketing Terminals and Lubricant Plants. Afterwards, Ed transitioned to the chemical industry working for Arkema as a Safety and Environmental Auditor supporting 30 chemical plants located throughout North America. Also, with Arkema, he worked in the Acrylic Monomers group establishing quality agreements with customers and providing technical support during the transfer and storage of acrylic monomers.
The next phase of Ed’s career was a move to Siegfried Pharmaceuticals (API Manufacturer) where he was a Process Optimization Engineer in the Manufacturing Group and then later transitioned to the position of System Automation Engineer and managed the site’s automation programs. Next, Ed worked for Biokinetics, a Life Sciences Engineering Contracting Company, as a Senior Automation Engineer and did contract work for GSK, Medimmune, and Chiron. Afterwards, he started working for Auxilium Pharmaceuticals as Sr. Manager Technical Operations providing Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) oversight for a small molecule topical gel and a biologic sterile injectable product. Also, with Auxilium, Ed became the Associate Director of Engineering and Facilities for a Biological Manufacturing Plant. Starting in 2014, Ed became a Capstone Advisor for Drexel’s Chemical and Biological Engineering Department and three years later joined the Industrial Advisory Board for Drexel.
Currently Ed is working for the Center for Breakthrough Medicine (CBM) as a Principal Engineer overseeing the Capital Project Management program and shutdown planning. CBM is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for the life sciences industry located in King of Prussia.
Jessica Cades
- Senior Scientific Reviewer
- US FDA
Dr. Cades is a Senior Scientific Reviewer at the US FDA, where she has worked since 2015. She serves in the Office of Combination Products, the Office of Clinical Policy and Programs, and the Office of the Commissioner. She earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel in 2011 and a PhD in Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at Johns Hopkins in 2015. She holds certifications from the Project Management Institute and the American Society for Quality (Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt).
Sara Cook
- Founder and President
- Illaicook Statistical Consulting, Inc.
David De Vitis
Mr. DeVitis graduated from Drexel University with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 2014. David began his career in the pharmaceutical industry with a focus on process validation, cleaning validation and scale up of oral solid dosage products. In 2021 he joined Genesis AEC, where he currently works as a Process Engineer on the design and renovation of pharmaceutical processing facilities. In this role, David collaborates with architects and other engineering disciplines to ensure that facilities are designed according to current regulations and that product quantity and quality targets are achievable.
Garland Fussel
- Senior Research and Development Scientist
- PolyOne Corporation, Corporate Technology Division
Dr. Fussel is currently a Senior Research and Development Scientist in Specialty Engineered Materials at PolyOne Corporation, where he has been since 2014. He serves as both a technical lead for new raw material qualification and a formulation scientist for a thermoplastic product line. Prior to PolyOne, Dr. Fussel was Biomaterials R&D Scientist at DePuy Synthes Orthopedic Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Fussel hold a BS in Chemical Engineering from NC State and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.
Kaustubh Ghorpade, IAB President
- Global Process Improvement Manager
- Sekisui Specialty Chemicals
Professional with 17+ years of experience in R&D, process development and manufacturing environment. Currently working for Sekisui Specialty Chemicals, a leader in bio-degradable functional polymers, managing 3 manufacturing sites. Role focused on developing novel process technology, process optimization and CO2 reduction across sites.
Deborah Grubbe, PE. CEng
- Owner and President
- Operations and safety Solutions, LLC
Deborah Grubbe owns a small firm that specializes in operations and safety troubleshooting and support. Deborah is the former Vice President of Group Safety for BP plc, which had its two safest years ever during her tenure. She was trained in the characteristics of safe operations during her 27-year career at DuPont, where she held corporate director positions in engineering, operations, and safety. Deborah is a former member of the NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and served as a consultant on safety culture to the Columbia Shuttle Accident Investigation Board. Deborah is an Emeritus Member of the Center for Chemical Process Safety and has advised the US Army on the Demilitarization of the US Chemical Weapons Stockpile. In 2021 she served as President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Deborah obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with Highest Distinction from Purdue University and received a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study chemical engineering at Cambridge University in England. Born in Illinois, she received the Purdue Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2002, and, in that same year, was named “Engineer of the Year” in the State of Delaware. In 2010, Deborah received an Honorary PhD in Engineering from Purdue University, for her contributions to safety across the process and aerospace industries. In 2013 she was inducted into the National Academy of Construction, and in 2018 was named the Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year. She was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2023.
Philip Hagerty
- Sales & Marketing Manager
- North America
"Phil's BSE and MS in Chemical Engineering have given him the skills and knowledge he needs to be a successful sales and marketing manager over the past decade. His coursework in engineering helped him understand product development, which is essential for developing innovative customer solutions. His experience in advanced R&D and manufacturing has also given him a deep understanding of the chemical industry and the challenges that customers face when buying or using new materials.
In his current role as Sales & Market Manager for North America, Phil works with chemists to develop new formulations based on the company's products. He also advises the engineering team on sales expectations and market trends, and he guides operations to meet customer needs. Phil has worked on projects to evaluate market opportunity sizes for new products, develop value propositions, and create business model expectations. He has also developed and implemented marketing campaigns, sales outreach programs, and other commercial financial evaluations.
Phil is proud of his accomplishments in sales and marketing, and he is passionate about engineering. He is committed to using his skills and experience to make a positive impact on the profession."
Lyndsay Handschuh
Lyndsay Handschuh has more than 5 years of experience as a Process Engineer, most recently becoming an Assistant Project Manager. Her experience includes leading projects consisting of RO skid updates, a multimillion-dollar customer focused project to install new equipment for product quality and replacing equipment for improved reliability. She has created and executed IOQ protocols, facilitated risk assessments and organized various types of PHA and LOPA efforts, including HAZOP and what if analysis. She is trained in the Apollo method for root cause analysis (RCA) and has facilitated multiple investigations.
In addition, Lyndsay has led the Process design and MEP coordination of multiple process suites using Single-Use Bioreactors and related up/downstream equipment as well as stainless steel tanks. She has been the Process Engineer and Project Manager overseeing solution prep, laboratory support, manufacturing suites, form/fill suites, packaging/labeling lines, clean/black utilities support, biowaste, pH neutralization and IPA tank storage. She has been involved in the coordination between trades and the construction manager for a design assist multimillion dollar project.
Ehsan Jabbarzadeh
- Prof. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Univ. of South Carolina
Ehsan is a Full Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Director of Engineering Entrepreneurship at the University of South Carolina. He is also a Venture Partner at IAG Capital Partners, an early-stage investment firm focused on life sciences and advanced computing. His professional career is represented by a Venn diagram of entrepreneurship, innovation, and academic leadership. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded and led Obsidio Inc, a venture-backed medical device company that pioneered a biomaterial technology to block blood flow with applications in hemorrhage control and interventional oncology. As an innovator, he directed a research laboratory focusing on biomaterials and stem cells. As an academic leader, he spearheaded the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded I-Corps Site as well as the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurial Engineering programs. Ehsan's credentials include a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioengineering from the California Institute of Technology, and an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business.
Krysten Minnici
- Business Development Specialist
- Arkema
Dr. Minnici is a Business Development Scientist in 3D Printing and High-Performance Polymers at Arkema, Inc. She earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel in 2015, a joint MS in Materials Science from Drexel, Polytechnic Institute of Milan, and Polytechnic University of Madrid, also in 2105. Dr. Minnici earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2019. Dr. Minnici was in the first cohort of PhD rotational scientists at Arkema, working on exploratory research projects across seven business units.
Padma Narayan
Dr. Padma Narayan is currently Head of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) at a New Startup Co. She was previously at SAGE Therapeutics, leading drug product development for the treatment of CNS-related indications and at TESARO (GSK), developing treatments for oncology. Padma has also held prior R&D leadership positions at The Dow Chemical Company, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer. At Dow, she was leading an R&D organization involved in new product development for agricultural, pharmaceutical, consumer products, coatings, and oil & gas industries. Her areas of expertise in the pharmaceutical industry involve particle technology, drug delivery, biopharmaceutics and process development. Padma is elected as an AIMBE Fellow, serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and is an Industrial Advisory Board Member for Drexel University College of Engineering. She been an active member of the Society of Women Engineers and American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Padma received her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Drexel University and her Bachelors in Chemical Engineering at Villanova University.
Chris Peterson, Vice President
- Director, Strategic Consulting
- Latham BioPharm Group
As Director in the Strategic Consulting team at LBG, Mr. Peterson manages a group that executes market research, technical landscapes, and financial and Cost of Goods modeling covering various technical areas in biotech, including cell and gene therapy, small molecules, biologics, vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices, and animal health products. He also manages programs consisting of Nonclinical, CMC, Clinical, and Quality activities for multiple early phase therapeutics from preclinical studies through IND filing.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Peterson was the business and technical lead for the implementation of a data aggregation and analytics software to support commercial process validation at AstraZeneca and a validation engineer at Merck & Co. supporting commercial vaccine manufacturing through sterilization and cleaning validation testing for bulk DS and DP filling areas. In addition, he is also a subject matter expert in Microsoft’s SharePoint, has developed, installed, and administrated multiple SharePoint-based document management systems, and has significant proficiency with multiple Quality Systems and software platforms.
Mr. Peterson is a PMI (PMP®) and supply chain (CSCP®) certified project manager with more than 15 years of experience in the life sciences industry and a 2009 graduate of the Drexel Chemical Engineering BS/MS program.
M. Aflal Rahmathullah
- Vice President
- Engineering Life Sciences
Steven Schon
- Engineering fellow- Arkema
- Co-Founder and CTO- QuantaCool Associates
Steven Schon, P.E., is an Engineering Fellow at Arkema’s Central Technology Group, and has over 40 years’ experience in process engineering, front-end process design, piloting, scale-up, and trouble-shooting plant operations. He received his B.S in chemical engineering from Columbia, and his M.S. in chemical engineering from Drexel. His professional interests include process intensification, distillation, process simulation, advanced process control, microchannel technology, process safety, and separations technologies. He is inventor or co-inventor on 21 patents, received an R&D 100 Award, and Chemical Engineering Magazine’s ChemInnovations Award. Steve is co-founder and CTO of QuantaCool, commercializing 2-phase cooling technology for the electronics and IT industry. He is an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University’s Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, where he mentors graduating engineers in their capstone plant design projects.