Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Advisor, Incoming CSO
Prachee is the co-founder, chief scientific advisor, and incoming CSO, and she joins Arcadia from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth where she is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Prachee is also the President of ASAPbio and on the board of directors of the open access journal eLife. Her PhD is in Neuroscience from the University of Utah. Prachee’s favorite organisms are single-celled eukaryotes ideal for studying cytoskeletal machines including ciliates, parasites, and algae.
Co-Founder, CEO, Board Member
Seemay is the co-founder, CEO, and Board Member. She joins Arcadia from UCSF where she was an Assistant Professor in Biochemistry and Biophysics. Seemay is also co-founder and CEO of Trove Biolabs. She received a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology from UC, Berkeley. Seemay's favorite organisms are parasites of all kinds, especially those crazy venomous blood-feeders.
Co-Founder, Board Member, Advisor to the CEO
Jed McCaleb is a Board Member and Advisor to the CEO. He is the founder of the Astera Institute, which is dedicated to improving the process of science. He also co-founded the Stellar Development Foundation and created eDonkey2000, one of the largest file-sharing networks in its time. His favorite organisms are the aliens among us, the octopus.
Executive Assistant and Office Manager
Emily is the Executive Assistant and Office Manager. Previously, she was Executive Assistant to the President and CEO at Blue Shield of California Foundation and staffing coordinator for the University of California. She received a B.A. in Art History from Willamette University. Emily’s favorite organisms are echidnas because they seem like something that a child dreamed up, but have managed to survive largely unchanged since prehistoric times.
Office Administrator
Nikole is the Office Administrator, and prior to joining she was a Manager of Customer Operations at Minted and a Business Systems Consultant at Wells Fargo. She received a B.A. in Art History from The Ohio State University and a certification in Event Planning from San Francisco State University. Nikole’s favorite organisms are bees because they work together socially for the good of the hive and are responsible for pollination and honey!!
Lead Editor
Megan is the Lead Editor. Prior to joining Arcadia, she worked in science communication and outreach at the Innovative Genomics Institute. She received her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. Her favorite organisms are ants, gibbons, and dogs, because they're fascinating, athletic, and cute, respectively.
General Counsel
Katie is the General Counsel, and prior to joining Arcadia she was a partner at Shay Glenn LLP where she counseled early-stage life science clients on intellectual property and strategic innovation. Katie received her M.Eng from MIT and her J.D. from the University of Michigan. Katie’s favorite organisms are fireflies because of their ability to synchronously light up the night sky and bring her back to her childhood in the Midwest.
Director of Communications
Lauren is the Director of Communications. Prior to joining, she was the Head of Communications and Operations at Felix Biotechnology, and before that, an editorial partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Lauren received a PhD in Pharmacology from University of Washington. Lauren’s favorite organisms are eusocial insects like bees, ants, and termites, because she is dazzled by their complex behaviors and dance-based methods of communication.
Laboratory Operations Manager
Christina is the Laboratory Operations Manager. Prior to Arcadia, she worked for over a decade at Plexxikon Inc. and contributed to the success of two marketed drugs, Zelboraf and Pexidartinib. She received her B.S. in Biology from Cal State East Bay. Christina is intrigued by the Elysia atroviridis sea slugs due to the fact they can decapitate their own heads and regrow their entire bodies — a real life horror movie!
Scientist
Adair is a Scientist with a focus in microbiology. Previously, she was a Miller Research Fellow at UC Berkeley and she received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from UCSF. Adair uses a combination of bioinformatic and experimental techniques to explore the wonderful world of her favorite organisms, bacteriophages.
Scientist
Tori is a Scientist for Trove Biolabs at Arcadia Science. Before joining, she received her B.A. in Biology from Clark University. Her favorite emerging research organisms are regenerative marine organisms.
Scientist
Rachel is a Scientist and spearheads strategic planning and recruitment in Microbial Sciences. Currently, she is an Associate Professor and leads the Dutton Lab at the UCSD, which studies the complexities of microbial communities. She is actively transitioning over 2022 to a full-time time role at Arcadia. Rachel received a PhD in Microbiology from Harvard Medical School and was awarded the Bauer Fellowship. Rachel's favorite organisms are the wonderful microbes that make cheese and other fermented foods so delicious.
Scientist
Bobby is a Scientist for Trove Biolabs at Arcadia Science. He previously was a Scientist with Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UC Berkeley. He received his PhD at UC Davis. Bobby’s current favorite emerging research organism is the emerald green sea slug, E. chlorotica, due to its ability to build structures akin to solar cells from the food it eats!
Scientist
Galo is a Scientist, and previously he was a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF. He earned a Ph.D from UC, Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology. His favorite emerging research organisms are protists because they harbor biological innovations that enable life in unexpected locations and conditions.
Scientist
Jase is a Scientist, focused on building molecular technologies. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Caltech and the University of Washington. He received a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the UC Berkeley. Jase's favorite organisms are marine invertebrates that have evolved to manipulate light, partner with other species, and produce unique bioactive compounds.
Scientist
Cameron is a Scientist specializing in cell biology. Previously, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He received a PhD from State University of New York Upstate Medical University. Cameron's favorite organisms are ciliated algae including the globe algae Volvox carteri.
Scientist
Kira is a Scientist and spearheads strategic planning and recruitment in Neuroscience. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics and leads the Poskanzer Lab at UCSF and is actively transitioning over 2022 to a full-time time role at Arcadia. Kira was the co-founder and CSO of Trove Biolabs and will lead the Trove division as part of the translation program at Arcadia. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from UCSF. Her favorite emerging research area is understudied cell types in the brain.
Scientist
Atanas splits his time between being a Scientist and the Lab Manager. Prior to joining, he was a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF and Indiana University, and he received a PhD from the University of Kentucky. Atanas’ favorite organisms are the nudibranchs because they seem like a creature out of a computer game!
Scientist
MaryClare (MC) Rollins is the Team Lead for Trove Biolabs at Arcadia Science. Before joining, MC studied the molecular mechanisms of CRISPR complexes at Montana State University. Her favorite emerging research organisms are ticks, but she's also partial to bacteriophages (and their hosts).
Scientist
Peter is a Scientist for Trove Biolabs at Arcadia Science. He previously studied gut microbiome dynamics through the lens of proteomics and received his Ph.D in organic chemistry and chemical biology from The Scripps Research Institute. His favorite research organisms are gut microbes, because they highlight the subtle yet crucial ways that humans are reliant on a healthy and diverse biosphere.
Scientist
Ryan York is a Scientist with a focus on comparative biology and neuroscience. He was previously a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University. He received a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Stanford’s Biology Department. His favorite organisms are dogs, due to their fascinating co-evolution with humans.
Intern
Jasmine is working on building and driving translational strategies across projects at Arcadia. In the past, she has worked at biotech startups and large pharmaceutical companies, driving marketing strategies and scaling operations. Jasmine received a B.HSc. at McMaster University in Canada and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Biomedical Discovery & Commercialization. Jasmine's favorite organism is the emerald sea slug.
Strategic Advisor
Nish co-founded SciFounders, a firm investing in scientist-led ventures. He previously co-founded Color, a population health biotechnology company, and continues to help founders at the intersection of biology and engineering. Nish's favorite organism is Morpho menelaus, a butterfly that has evolved scales which diffract light so as to create an iridescent blue color.
Scientific Advisor
Jonathan is a Professor at the UC Davis with appointments in the Genome Center, the Department of Evolution and Ecology, and the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. His current research focuses on the evolution, ecology, genomics and function of communities of microbes and how microbes interact with each other and with hosts as part of host microbiomes. His favorite organism is the peregrine falcon.
Strategic Advisor
Michael is a Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the UC Berkeley and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute studying genetics, genomics, and development. A strong proponent of open science, Mike is a co-founder of the Public Library of Science and the current Editor-in-Chief of eLife. His favorite organism is the nematode C. elegans.
Translational Advisor
Jaye is the Founder and CEO of Founder → Leader. Previously, she was on the founding team at Petri, founded and scaled the MIT Communication Lab, and oversaw education innovation at Harvard University. Jaye’s favorite organism is the Eastern Newt; she loves spotting them while hiking in New Hampshire with her son, husband, and dog.
Scientific Advisor
Casey is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and the founding Director of the Center for Health AI in the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Casey’s research program centers on the development and evaluation of computational methods that capture emergent complexity of biological systems. His favorite organisms are either dragons or unicorns, which depend on his 4-year-old daughter on a day-by-day basis.
Scientific Advisor
Amro is a Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the UC San Diego. The Hamdoun group leverages the advantageous biological features of the sea urchin as a developmental model, and they are active in the creation of genetic, molecular, and microscopy-based tools to enable cutting-edge research in this and other marine biomedical model organisms. His favorite organism is the painted sea urchin, Lytechinus pictus.
Scientific Advisor
Liz is a Professor of Biology and HHMI-Simons Faculty at Washington University in St. Louis and a Principle Investigator in the Center for Engineering Mechanobiology. Her research group aims to identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which plants perceive force, with a particular focus on mechanosensitive ion channels. She serves as a Deputy Editor at Science Advances and is a co-host of The Taproot podcast. Her favorite organism is the aquatic carnivorous plant Utricularia gibba.
Translational Advisor
Kelly is a Director and Project Team Leader at Asher Biotherapeutics. She was previously a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures, where she contributed to building Celsius Therapeutics, Abata Therapeutics, and Asher Biotherapeutics.
Scientific Advisor
Lauren is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University. She is the Director of the Laboratory of Organismal Biology, which investigates how the environment influences animal behavior and physiology. She received a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and then started her own research group as Bauer Fellow at Harvard University before moving to Stanford. Lauren’s favorite organisms are those that are poisonous or venomous, especially poison frogs and spiders.
Translational Advisor
Becky is a partner on the a16z bio+health investing team. Prior to joining Andreessen Horowitz, she worked at Amgen where she was both a scientist and led business development efforts for therapeutic platform partnerships. Becky completed her postdoctoral education at Genentech and received her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley. Becky's favorite organism is the butterfly because it reminds us of the ability to continually change and morph throughout life.
We are incredibly grateful to additional advisors who offered critical early input and continue to provide support and encouragement as we build: James Fraser, Beth Hayes, Nicole King, Arye Lipman, and Adam Marblestone.
Bakar BioEnginuity Hub2630 Bancroft WayBerkeley, CA