I gained my Ph.D. in developmental neurobiology in 1997, at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland UK, where my work focused on cell survival in the developing peripheral nervous system. Following this, I spent four years conducting post-doctoral research at the Rockefeller University in New York, where I worked on cell death in neurodegenerative diseases. In 2001, I joined the non-profit biomedical research sector, taking a position as Program Director for Diabetes Complications at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), where I developed a comprehensive program to facilitate basic, translational and clinical research, and oversaw ~$150M in total research funding during my tenure. In 2006, I joined the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) as the Foundation’s Director of Scientific Affairs, where I managed the organization’s grants program and aided the Foundation’s efforts in Venture Philanthropy Funding by sourcing over 100 companies and selecting those with novel therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. Following this period, I took the position of Chief Scientific Officer at the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) in 2008. During my tenure, I conducted a comprehensive 10-year analysis of the research funding landscape, devised a 3-year Strategic Plan and overhauled the research portfolio with a focus on Rett syndrome therapeutics discovery and development. In 2011, I established a small consultancy, PharCited LLC, which provides advice to non-profit research foundations and for-profit companies on different aspects of Strategic Planning, Market Analysis, Research Portfolio Planning and Venture Philanthropy. I also serve in a volunteer capacity as a merit reviewer for The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), as Vice Chairman of the Hereditary Leiomyoma and Renal Cell Cancer (HLRCC) Family Alliance, and as a Reviewer for the Scientific Journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.