Curriculum vitae
What follows is an abbreviated list of my work experience, education, and publication history, in reverse chronological order. More detail can be found on my LinkedIn page. A regularly-updated PDF copy of my CV can be found here.
Education
2021 to present — Completing an online professional program in regulatory affairs from UC Berkeley Extension to further my knowledge of regulatory aspects in API manufacture and marketing.
2010 to 2015 — Studied as a PhD candidate in the Li Research Group at McGill University. I worked on developing new methods for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds in aqueous and semi-aqueous media, especially using transition metal catalysis. Successfully defended my PhD thesis, entitled Make mine nearly neat: aqueous and high-concentration reactions for selective carbon-carbon bond formation. on 2015-06-19.
2005 to 2009 — Studied as a B.Sc. student at the University of Guelph, with a concentration in biological chemistry. Graduated magna cum laude with an honours thesis project on the synthesis of benzonorbornene derivatives and cyclopropanation reactions thereof, directed towards the asymmetric synthesis of fused 6/7-membered ring systems.
2004 to 2005 — Completed one year of foreign exchange study in Prague, Czech Republic. Attended První obnovené reálné gymnázium in the septima class. Became almost fluent in the Czech language and drank a lot of beer.
Work
2024 to present - Principal scientist in process chemistry for Kymera Therapeutics. Overseeing development of pre-clinical and clinical-stage heterobifunctional degraders (often called PROTACS, though this is in fact a registered trademark, not a generic term) for treatment of inflammatory and immunological diseases.
2022 to 2023 — Senior scientist in chemical development for Sage Therapeutics. Helping to develop new GABA and NMDA positive allosteric modulators as APIs for the treatment of brain and neuropsychiatric disorders.
2016 to 2022 — Process chemist at Gilead Alberta ULC. Areas of focus include sustainable chemistry and the use of continuous flow chemistry for efficient synthesis of preclinical APIs and intermediates. Projects have included APIs for liver diseases, HIV, COVID-19, inflammation, and IBD.
2010 to 2015 — During my PhD studies, aside from the many hours spent doing research, I supervised six undergraduate research assistants, and acted as a laboratory and tutorial teaching assistant for several organic and general chemistry classes.
2008 to 2009 — For one summer in 2008 I worked as an undergaduate research assistant in the Auzanneau laboratory at the University of Guelph. This work was funded by a scholarship from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Undergraduate Summer Research Assistanship program. I performed work on the total synthesis of Lewis-X trisaccharide analogs in an effort to develop vaccines for certain types of cancer.
At various times, interspersed throughout the above dates — I have worked other jobs as well, including at grocery stores, gas stations, and in the kitchens of restaurants. Of these the work in the kitchen was the most agreeable, but was highly stressful and paid very little. All of them, however, were very educational in one way or another.
Publications
My graduate thesis/dissertation can be found in the McGill e-thesis database.
Research publications to which I have contributed can be found on Google Scholar. These include four original research articles, one review article, and one book chapter.
Conference presentations that I have made include the following:
- “Aniline carbamates: a versatile and removable motif for Pd(II)-catalyzed C-H activation”
- Poster presented at CGCC Symposium in Montréal, Québec 2014-05-09
- Poster presented at 2nd International Symposium on C-H Activation in Rennes, France 2014-07-01
- Talk presented at 98th Annual Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Ottawa, Ontario 2015-06-14.
- “Neighbourhood art hives: small and sustainable spaces for creative inquiry”
- Workshop presented at Community-University Expo in Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador 2013-06-14
- “Site-specific modification of amino acids and peptides by A3 coupling under ambient aqueous conditions”
- Poster presented at 96th Annual Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Québec City, Québec 2013-05-27
- Winner of first prize in the Biomedical/Medicinal Chemistry Graduate Student Poster Symposium
- “The aldehyde-alkyne-amine coupling: Propargylamines and beyond”
- Poster presented at the Catalysis Research Centre International Symposium at York University, Toronto, Ontario 2012-02-04
Press I have received
For my Valentine’s Day cards (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
For my TTC-inspired ringtones (1, 2).
For my contributions to Chemistry Blog (1).