Merck & Co., West Point, Pennsylvania

Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences - 3 years as Scientific Lead

Responsible for guiding the selection of drug candidates (optimum phase, toxicological formulations).

• Compounds entered Phase I to III clinical studies (Infectious disease, neuroscience, endocrine).

• Led team in designing strategy for pre-clinical transdermal delivery (properties, derisking studies).

• Responsible for guiding teams in using prodrugs - HIV prodrug approved into development.

• Contributed to the development of doravirine.

Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., Montreal

Pharmaceutical R&D - 20 years, 17 as Head of Preformulation

Responsible for supporting, among others, Singulair®, Vioxx®, Arcoxia®, laropiprant in Tredaptive®, and veterinary Cox-2 inhibitors (e.g., Equioxx®), and compounds which completed Phase III (e.g. odanacatib®).

• Developed pre-clinical risk assessment, salt guidelines, and strategy for druggability and formulability.

• Identified novel orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) delivery technologies.

• Obtained seed funding ($1MM) which led to the launch of preformulation automation at Merck.

McGill University, Montreal, Department of Chemistry, 3.5 years, Research Assistant

• Synthesized and characterized novel polymeric bile acid sequestrants (patented).

Queen's University, Kingston, Department of Chemistry, 1 year, NSERC post-doctoral fellowship

• Synthesis and thermal mechanical properties of homogeneous copolymers of ethylene and 1 alkenes.

McGill University, Montreal, Department of Chemistry, 4.5 years, Ph.D. (Dean’s Honour List)

• Synthesis and characterization of novel random styrene alkoxide copolymer ionomers, using FT-NMR, FT-IR, thermal analytical methods including DSC, TGA, and dynamic mechanical properties studies (torsion pendulum, stress relaxometer).