Our Team

Meet the PhenoVista Team

At PhenoVista, you’ll find a passionate, specialist team of creative problem solvers ready to tackle everything from straightforward assays when your in-house capacity is overflowing, to the most complex, high risk projects.

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JAMES G. EVANS Ph.D.

CEO

Has a background in cell and molecular biology with extensive expertise in fluorescence imaging and informatics. Dr Evans earned his PhD from the University of Edinburgh at the Medical Research Councils Reproductive Biology Unit in 1998 and later undertook post-doctoral training in the labs of Dr Jerome Groopman (Harvard Medical School) and Prof Paul Matsudaira (Whitehead Institute and MIT). Since leaving academia, Dr Evans has been involved in commercialization of life science research both for technology platforms and drug discovery. Outside of work James enjoys surfing, ice cream and chasing around his kids!

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ANTHONY ESSEX Ph.D.

CSO

Dr. Essex is an expert in cell biology and disease models having earned his PhD from the University of California, San Diego in 2009 while working in Prof. Arshad Desai's lab. Postdoctoral work in the lab of Prof. Leanne Jones at the Salk Institute provided in-depth experience with advanced stem cell models. Tenures at several biotech companies have provided Dr. Essex with a deep understanding of how to leverage cell-based models and quantitative imaging to better understand disease. When not at work, Tony enjoys surfing, traveling with his wife, and reading.

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RAY PRICE Ph.D.

VP of Business Development

Ray is a pharma/biotech business development executive responsible for increasing sales and managing collaborative R&D agreements at PhenoVista. He has an MBA from INSEAD, and work experience in Japan, the US, and France. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University and worked as a researcher at Astellas before moving into business development for a number of phenotypic platform companies. He enjoys soccer, driving his 1966 Mustang around San Diego, and playing Minecraft with his teenagers.

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JEFF IRELAN Ph.D.

Director of BD & Marketing

Jeff is a biotech business development and marketing executive with experience in 3D co-culture models and phenotypic assays for drug discovery. He received his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Oregon and worked as a researcher at Novartis before moving into several roles supporting commercial development for cell-based phenotypic assay platform companies. He enjoys hiking, biking, playing mini golf with his kid and occasionally sampling product form local breweries.

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MATTHEW STOLTZ

Director of BD - New England

Matt is a sales and business development professional with a long history of working for high end imaging and drug discovery companies.  An anthropologist by training he started his professional life by managing a lab at UMass Medical and from there moved into a 3D Imaging Specialist role.  Over the years he has worked for a number of major imaging equipment manufacturers representing both traditional microscopy and high content systems in the New England area.  Outside of work Matt enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and working on his old Suburban.

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JENNY YIP Ph.D.

Director of BD - Mid Atlantic

Jenny is a cell & molecular biologist by training but a strategic problem solver by nature. She came from
a strong background in pre-clinical drug discovery, and well versed in CRO- & Pharma- related industries,
proving biology solution & adding value to all her pharma/biotech clients. Jenny received her Ph.D. in
Molecular Pharmacology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and had her post-doc training from
Fox Chase Cancer Center, with focus on oncology and metabolic diseases. Aside from work, Jenny is
devoted mom, whom always encourages her kids to be a better person. They adore her cooking!

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ERIKA MARTIN

Senior Laboratory Manager

Erika Martin is an industry-experienced scientist with a background in molecular and cellular biology with an extensive 10 year background in quantitative fluorescent imaging, garnered at the Whitehead Institute and MIT. Supplemented with valuable experience in embryonic stem cell biology while employed at the Salk Institute. Upon moving into Laboratory Manager positions in GLP environments, became skilled in the development and running of high content screening assays and managing a GLP lab space. Mrs. Martin has been the laboratory manager at PhenoVista since 2015. Outside of the lab, Erika can be found at brunch with friends, taking pictures of her cats, or getting lost in a book or video game.  

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BOB BUSSELL Ph.D.

Director of Data Science

Bob is an expert at building image analysis pipelines in academia and industry in both MRI and high-content cellular imaging, drawing on experience at UCSD, GNF and a biotech startup. He has a BS in physics from Carnegie Mellon and a PhD from Cornell in biomolecular NMR spectroscopy. Outside of work, Bob enjoys spending time with his family, building Legos with the kids, tinkering with 3D printers and gardening.

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CHRIS KOEHLER Ph.D.

Director of Scientific Operations

Values efficiency.  B.S. with honors in Biology from Trinity University, M.S. in Cell and Developmental Biology from UCSD, Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UCLA.  Dr. Koehler has extensive experience in microscopy, cell culture, and genetics with a particular interest in stem cell metabolism and aging.

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FELIPE LEE-MONTIEL Ph.D.

Scientist II

Felipe is a Bioengineer with expertise in tissue engineering, microfluidics, biosensors, and systems biology. Dr. Lee-Montiel earned his PhD at the University of Arizona developing biosensors under the supervision of Dr. Mark Riley. Dr. Lee-Montiel has five years of combine postdoctoral experience at the University of Illinois, Drug Discovery Institute (University of Pittsburgh), and the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked as a lead investigator on several university-industry multidisciplinary, collaborative projects for the first-stage commercialization of microphysiological systems (MPS, or “organs-on-a-chip”). Outside of the lab, Dr. Lee-Montiel enjoys hiking, BBQ’s and playing with his young daughter and pet dog.

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LUCAS THAL Ph.D.

Scientist II

Dr. Thal is a scientist that specializes in chemical biology and has a knack for developing 3D and time-resolved imaging strategies. After graduating with a dual degree in chemistry and molecular biology from the University of Tennessee, Dr. Thal received his PhD at Vanderbilt University where he designed single-molecule imaging platforms in mammalian cell culture and acute brain tissue for protein trafficking studies. Outside of the lab, you can find him playing bass guitar, writing/recording songs, cycling, and spending time with his girlfriend and his dogs.

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STEFANIE MAKOWSKI Ph.D.

Scientist II

Stefanie is a biologist with expertise studying signaling pathways in T cell activation and membrane trafficking. After graduating from UCLA with a B.S. in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, she obtained her Ph.D. in immunology from Johns Hopkins University and performed postdoctoral research in cancer cell biology at UCSD. Outside the lab, she enjoys being outdoors, baking, and spending time with her family.

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VERONICA SACCHI, Ph.D.

Scientist III

Veronica Sacchi is a scientist with combined experience in cardiovascular biology and regenerative medicine. Veronica earned her PhD in Molecular Medicine from Basel University developing cell and viral free platforms to promote therapeutic angiogenesis. Dr. Sacchi has 5- years of combined postdoctoral experience at San Diego State University and the Genomic Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. During her postdocs Veronica worked on several collaborative projects to identify novel druggable targets for developing innovative therapies against cardiac disease. Outside the lab, Veronica enjoys playing beach volleyball, surfing, and going out for brunch with her friends.        

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LAURA DE LA VEGA Ph.D.

Scientist I

Dr. De la Vega is a biomedical engineer with expertise in tissue engineering, biomaterials, drug delivery systems, stem cells and 3D bioprinting. Dr. De la Vega earned her PhD at the University of Victoria in British Columbia developing novel techniques for engineering neural tissue using drug delivery systems and 3D bioprinting. She was awarded a Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship to develop a 3D bioprinted model of Alzheimer’s disease. Her hobbies include traveling, hiking and running. 

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MICHAEL OLAOPA Ph.D.

Scientist II

Michael is a cardiovascular geneticist by training with a passion for working on cross-functional research and commercialization projects that improve health outcomes for patients. He earned a PhD in Medical and Molecular Genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) and a Graduate Certificate in Business of Life Sciences at Indiana University - Kelley School of Business. During his graduate work, he developed 3 preclinical approaches for rescuing congenital heart defects in newborn patients with underlying genetic mutations. As a postdoc, Michael worked on 2 multidisciplinary teams in the fields of cardiac electrophysiology and neuropharmacology at IUSM and Oregon Health and Science University, respectively. When away from the lab, Michael enjoys teaching tangsoo-do martial arts, running half-marathons, watching Chelsea football games, skydiving, and occasionally, growing caterpillars into butterflies.

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CHRIS SPLAINE Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Scientist

Chris is a chemical biologist specializing in neurodegenerative research and protein structure.  He completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Salford (UK) and earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University (USA).  For his graduate research he used confocal microscopy and In-cell NMR to study α-synuclein and amyloid βeta structure inside neuroblastoma cells.  Outside of work Chris enjoys nature walks and watching humming birds visit the feeder on his balcony.

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ANA WANG Ph.D.

Grant Writer and External Liason

 Ana has a background in biochemistry/chemical biology with expertise in proteomics. She has a BSc in biochemistry from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA and a PhD in chemical biology from Scripps Research in La Jolla, CA. Ana has worked in a start-up company to develop novel sample preparation workflows for proteomic analysis and in another biotech company as a scientific writer. In her spare time, Ana can be found in a local studio teaching yoga, on the trails backpacking/hiking, or cuddled up with her 16-lb cats with her nose in a book. 

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NATALYA NOSKOVA

Research Associate

Natalya Noskova is a researcher with an extensive academic and hands-on experience in fluorescent microscopy and cell biology. Natalya holds a Bachelor's degree in biology from Novosibirsk State University in Russia. After graduation she has been worked in academic laboratories. In 2018 Natalya started to work in biotechnology industry. Nowadays she is a Research Associate at Phenovista Bioscences. In her spare time she enjoys spend time with a friends, hiking, swimming and traveling.  

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CYNTHIA CHAGGAN

Research Associate

Cynthia Chaggan is a research associate with knowledge and expertise in molecular biology lab techniques. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Mount Saint Mary’s University. Upon graduation, she worked on multiple projects at UCSD and UCLA related to cancer and diabetes research . Her new found love for fluorescent imaging and high content screening based assays lead her to the gates of PhenoVista in 2019 and she has been enjoying every second of it ever since. In her free time, Cynthia can be found listening to true crime podcasts, hiking trails in San Diego, and baking desserts.

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SOPHIA DO

Research Associate

Sophia is a researcher that has experience with cell cultures and polymeric biomaterials. She earned her B.S. for bioengineering: biotechnology at UCSD. After graduation, she joined Genentech where she cultured and purified cells for drug production. She later earned her M.S. for bioengineering at SDSU for her research on the synthesis and characterization of polymeric microspheres intended for impact mitigating purposes. In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, playing video games, and playing board games with friends.

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BRYAN THAI

Research Associate

Bryan Thai is a researcher with experience in fluorescence microscopy, microbiology, and software development. He earned his bachelor's degree in bioengineering from the University of California San Diego, and during his time as an undergraduate worked in an academic lab developing microfluidic devices for sensing applications. Upon graduating in 2020, he jumped straight to work here at PhenoVista as a research associate. In his spare time, Bryan enjoys playing video games, and occasionally even making his own.

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FRANCES LAGARDA

Research Associate

Frances Lagarda is a researcher with experience in cell culture and mechanobiology. She earned a B.S. in Bioengineering: Biotechnology at the University of California, San Diego where she worked in an academic laboratory focused on genetic mechanisms in alcohol abuse. She then pursued her M.S. in Bioengineering from San Diego State University as she conducted research to advance understanding of aortic valve pathology in LVAD patients. In her free time, she likes to listen to rock music, watch Youtube videos, and play with her pets. 

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MIKAYLA KRICFALUSI

Research Associate

Mikayla is a researcher with experience with molecular biology and biochemistry lab techniques. She earned her B.A. in Biochemistry and Sociology at Grinnell College. While attending Grinnell, she worked in a bacterial genetics lab in New Zealand as well as conducted research on SLUG stabilization in breast cancer.  In her spare time, she enjoys playing basketball, long distance backpacking, and traveling.

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