Mikaela Griffiths
After completing her MSc in Medical Molecular Biology and Genetics at Bangor University, Mikaela began her industry career at Qiagen in product development, gaining experience with ISO 13485 for medical devices. She later moved to Bristol and joined Charles River Labs (CRL), where she worked primarily in immunology, and quickly discovered that the skills developed […]
Dr Ana-Maria Nastase
Ana-Maria is an experienced Python programmer specialising in data processing and algorithm development for mass spectrometry (MS) data. She has developed computational methods based on machine learning algorithms which contribute to the investigation of biological mechanisms and biomarker discovery. Her PhD in Computational Biology and Machine Learning was focused on implementing algorithms such as Gaussian […]
Grace Haydon
Grace graduated with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Bath in 2021. Following her degree, she gained valuable experience in Oncology drug discovery at a biotech company before joining Medicines Discovery Catapult as an Associate Scientist in the Biomarkers team in 2023. In her current role, Grace specialises in a variety of […]
Dr Mike Strange
Mike has over 25 years of experience in the life sciences sector, working as COO and R&D Leader across pharmaceutical and vaccines R&D, and commercial. Mike’s most recent role was Head of Global Health at LifeArc where he led the design and implementation of LifeArc’s strategy in Global Health, a £100m programme of investments focussed […]
Professor Sir Mike Ferguson
Mike is Regius Professor of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee. He has served on the board of governors of the Wellcome Trust (2012-2021), including as deputy chair (2018-2021), and on the board of directors of Wellcome Leap (2019-2022). He also served on the board of directors of the Medicines for Malaria Venture (2012-2024). […]
Professor Sir John Burn
Professor Sir John Burn obtained a first class honours degree in human genetics and an MD with distinction from Newcastle University, where he has been Professor of Clinical Genetics since 1991. He was appointed as a consultant specialist in Newcastle in 1984 and led the regional NHS Genetics Service for 20 years. He helped to […]
Dr Francesca Sadler
Francesca Sadler has 20 years’ commercial experience in the drug discovery and development field. Francesca started her career as a Clinical Scientist working at the Public Health Laboratory Service (now part of Public Health England) researching meningococcal disease. Following a rewarding early career in the laboratory, Francesca moved into the commercial arena, most recently serving […]
Dr Lynne Braidwood
Lynne joined Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) in 2021 as part of the Business Development Team. She supports MDC’s capabilities in Cellular Sciences, Translational Imaging, and Biomarkers. In this role, Lynne collaborates with pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, SMEs, and academic researchers, helping them develop and execute studies by leveraging MDC’s expertise, technology, and wet lab capabilities. […]
Adriana Gambardella
Adriana joined Medicines Discovery Catapult in 2023 as part of the Virtual Research and Development team to help SMEs develop their strategies and re-disk their programmes. Building on over 18 years of research experience within academia and industry (both CROs and biotech companies), working on translational research and drug discovery programmes across different disease areas, […]