From our founders and executive team to our advisors and researchers, we have assembled some of the foremost experts and trailblazers to transform clinical trials and health insight generation.
Tech CEO. Impact Entrepreneur. Trailblazer.
Pelin Thorogood is an analytics industry executive turned impact entrepreneur who has made a career out of being at the forefront of emerging business trends and disruptive technologies.
With an unwavering focus on data and analytics, Pelin served as CEO and Director of Anametrix, a venture-backed multichannel data collection, visualization, and predictive analytics platform which received broad industry recognition, including for best business intelligence (BI) and Big Data solution (acquired by Ensighten 2014). Prior to Anametrix, she was CMO of WebSideStory, the pioneer in web analytics (IPO 2004, acquired by Omniture/Adobe 2008).
Pelin is the Co-Founder and President of Wholistic Research, and Education Foundation, one of the very first non-profits (501c3) focused on funding cutting-edge cannabinoid research and education to improve public health and safety. With a deep commitment to education and community, Pelin also serves as a Trustee and Treasurer of the UC San Diego Foundation and is on the Executive Board of the UC San Diego Basement, a campus-wide incubator for innovation and entrepreneurship. Pelin earned her B.S., M.Eng. and MBA degrees on merit scholarships, all from Cornell, where she still serves as an Industry Scholar for Cornell Institute of Healthy Futures.
Impact Entrepreneur. Physician. Scientist.
Curious. Futurist. Digital Transformation Agent.
Ted joined Radicle Science as a founding team member and Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer. He has over 30 years of investment and management experience in industries ranging from venture technology to established natural resource and industrial companies.
Ted has served in CEO, COO, and CFO roles in startups and mature companies, both domestically and internationally. And has been an active investor and board member for over 25 companies ranging from digital transformation technologies, media and marketing application services, manufacturing, real estate, and medical devices.
Rebel With a Cause. Tech Enthusiast. Dog Lover.
Throughout her 25-year career in research, Emily has worked tirelessly to expedite the research process to improve the human condition. She is passionate about harnessing the power of technology to streamline the research process, disrupt the status quo, and lessen the burden on trial participants. Emily joined Radicle Science as a founding team member after providing operational and research expertise as a consultant.
Emily’s approach to health and wellness is wholistic, incorporating exercise, nutrition, and relaxation into her daily routine! She is an aerial yoga enthusiast, Lagree® Pilates junkie, and meditates daily. She is often found wherever there are dogs, is always up for a hike, or ready to hit the slopes snow skiing in winter. Emily loves to make (and enjoy) healthy meals with family and friends, trying new recipes inspired from her global travels. On the flip side, she is the ‘team scientist’ for an all-female BBQ team (Boob-B-Q) that has more than one trophy to back up their “Spicy Racks & Smokin’ Thighs” smack!
Problem solver. Adventurer. Motorcycle enthusiast.
Jason has been in technology and startups for the last 25 years and has made impacts in a number of different industries including nootropics, pharmaceuticals, defense, and wearables. He sees technology as a tool to solve problems and applies his team’s combined experience to solve those problems, whether it be a healthier lifestyle or simply shaking things up.
His early career started in Army Intelligence and he worked on several high profile technical projects. Since then he has been involved in the startup industry applying his knowledge of data analytics, development, and technical team leadership to get quality solutions to the market. His experience delves into pharmaceutical, customer relationship management, enterprise tools, and social platforms.
When Jason’t isn’t working, he’s out adventuring, as true Radicle Rebels do. He’s his own brand of “Action Adventure Geek,” whether is riding his motorcycle to the Arctic Circle, mountain biking via helicopter in the Canadian Rockies, or just out camping in the wilderness.
Team Builder. Strategist. Coach.
Peter joins Radicle Science as the SVP of Growth and Revenue. He has more than 20 years of executive leadership experience with several market making, tech-enabled service company leaders.
Peter has spent most of his time with transformative venture backed companies delivering analytics solutions to help client’s gain clearer business and consumer insights. He’s held global and national roles helping define strategy, building teams/process and primarily driving execution of new client and partnership objectives to fuel growth. Industries of focus have included Retail, Restaurants, CPG, Communications, Pharma, Tech and Finance.
As a lifelong athlete and coach, Peter is very dedicated to health, exercise, and teamwork. He strongly believes the balance of work, family, exercise and community has been a key to his success. He has seen the same significant impact on others overall well-being when applied. He is grateful to still be actively playing ultimate frisbee on a national level and is called on to advise lacrosse coaches and programs for his expertise.
Customer success driven. Organizer. Life-long Learner.
Meghan is passionate about natural health and healing, as well as empowering individuals to make informed choices. She’s also driven to build streamlined systems for optimal flow. Her goal is to create a seamless experience for clients as well as participants as they engage with Radicle Science. Meghan thrives on building relationships, creating operational efficiencies, coordinating cross-functional teams, and leaving no detail unchecked.
Before joining Radicle Science, Meghan was the Director of Customer Engagement at Aisle Planner, a cloud-based project and business management tool in the Wedding and Event industry. Meghan was employee #3 and involved in all aspects of system creation, tracking feedback, prioritizing the development schedule, regression testing, bug replication/reporting, as well as training, onboarding, and retaining users. She also ran an education-related non-profit for several years, and prior to that worked in project management and business development at Proflowers.com.
Meghan earned her MBA at the University of Washington and a BA at UC Santa Barbara. When not working, Meghan loves hiking, backpacking, cooking, yoga, breathwork/meditation, hanging with her 2 teens, tennis, reading, volunteering, and going to concerts and festivals.
Impact entrepreneur. Creator. Investor.
Recently named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Peter H. Diamandis is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions. He is also the executive founder of Singularity University, a graduate-level Silicon Valley institution that counsels the world’s leaders on exponentially growing technologies. As an entrepreneur, Diamandis has started over 25 companies in the areas of longevity, space, venture capital and education. He is cofounder of BOLD Capital Partners, a venture fund with $250M investing in exponential technologies, and co-founder and Vice Chairman of Celularity, Inc., a cellular therapeutics company. Diamandis is a New York Times Bestselling author of two books: Abundance – The Future Is Better Than You Think and BOLD – How to go Big, Create Wealth & Impact the World. His newest book in this series of exponential technologies—The Future is Faster Than You Think—was released in 2020. He earned degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from the MIT and holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Diamandis’ favorite saying is “the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.”
Regulatory Expert.
Martin is a partner at Hogan Lovells and is one of the nation’s top FDA, food and dietary supplement regulatory attorneys. Over the last decade he has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Chambers USA for categories including Food and Beverage Law, FDA Law, Food and Drugs, and Food & Beverage Regulatory & Litigation.
Co-founder Nutrition Business Journal.
Thomas Aarts is Managing Director of Nutrition Business Advisors (NBA), a company that provides advanced consulting, strategic advising, capital raising, and full-service business development focused on the Global Nutrition Industry. Mr. Aarts sits on several boards, including Vitamin Angels, a non-profit whose mission is to provide vital nutrients to children and women in need. Tom is a graduate of Colgate University and completed his MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Aarts is a high-level management consultant with 25+ years of experience working with C-suite executives across the nutrition industry. His experience lies in management consulting, M&A transactions, capital raising, and strategic market research.
Mr. Aarts co-founded the Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) in 1996, the business journal of record for the nutrition industry. Through this, he was an integral part of creating many industry-leading reports that helped shape the nutrition industry. Mr. Aarts now serves as Chairman of the Editorial Advisory Board for NBJ. He is also the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the annual NBJ Summit, a premier CEO/executive retreat for the nutrition and natural products industry, now in its 27th year.
Entrepreneur. Executive.
Bruce is an entrepreneur and executive with a depth and breadth of experience across big data, AI/analytics, and fin-tech. Previously, Bruce was Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of ID Analytics (acquired by LifeLock for $200+ million) and President of HNC Software Inc. (NASDAQ: HNCS), a $1 billion+ global AI software provider in financial services, telecom and healthcare (acquired by FICO in 2002). Bruce served as Director at 3 public and 7 VC and private-equity backed firms, and was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year (San Diego) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
Jonathan is Professor at the Jonathan Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA, former Director of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health and was appointed by President Obama to the National Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion and Integrative Public Health.
Energetic, Persistent, Literal
Susan joined Radicle Science with 10 years experience in the dietary supplement industry as a consultant and with a CRO, and over 20 years experience in academia and nutrition research. She received her BS in nutrition, MS in exercise physiology, PhD in nutrition all from Florida State University.
Additionally her background includes Research fellowship in protein metabolism at UTMB. Registered Dietitian, personal trainer, graduate certificate in cannabis science. Professor Stetson University Tenured, founding faculty UCF College of Medicine, professor Central Michigan University. Medical writer and author. Founder of Substantiation Sciences consulting. Director of Scientific Affairs Nutrasource.
She is a writer, researcher, dog lover, runner and scientist, and her philosophy about nutrition and health has always been evidenced based but “with an eye on what makes sense to drive the next step in research”
Data scientist. Translates health data into actionable insights. Gamer, with a love of chess.
Armin Jamshidi, MS, is a data scientist and machine learning expert who joined Radicle Science as the Director of Data Science. He is deeply passionate about the impact of machine learning applications on health data, and is channeling that passion at Radicle to directly impact the wellbeing of people through personalized medicine for the population at large.
While at UC San Diego, Armin gained experience in the healthtech space by working as a deep learning researcher focused on semantic segmentation for musculoskeletal MRI imaging. He supported a database of medical images and deployed a method to analyze image data over time to determine musculoskeletal health. The software was then leveraged across multiple infrastructures.
Outside of work, Armin loves to go bouldering, play chess, and also explore the city of Los Angeles with his newfound passion for film photography.
Armin earned his BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and MS in Machine Learning and Data Science at UC San Diego.
Kaustubh (Kaus) first joined Radicle Science as an intern shortly before he finished graduate school at UC San Diego. Armin, whom Kaus had known since freshman year of their undergraduate programs, introduced him to Pelin. While interning at Radicle Science, he enjoyed the creative process of designing systems and solutions, which he hadn’t done at such a scale, and how nice and easy to work with everyone was. Kaus was invited to join Radicle Science as a full time employee and happily accepted.
Kaus strives to be the absolute best at anything he does. While his main area of interest is machine learning and genetic algorithms, he has a wide skill set relevant to his work at Radicle Science. Kaus has led research using statistical learning to classify multiple metabolite-based drug transporters discovered in the lab, has worked in cyber-security as a full-stack engineer, and has built serverless architectures and platforms for internal tools. A large part of Kaustubh’s independent research in graduate school focused on genetic learning and neuro-evolution algorithms.
Kaustubh loves dogs, video games, and exploring new cities and environments. He also loves to cook, and is slowly working towards mastering different cuisines.
Optimist. Hopeful. Intuitive
While working for two of the largest healthcare providers in the nation, Grace saw many patients suffering from diseases that could have been prevented with lifestyle and wellness interventions. Her personal passion for preventative medicine aligns with Radicle Science’s mission and her desire to improve people’s health outcomes. Grace has been professionally supporting Dr. Jeff since his days running one of UCLA’s first natural medicine research programs, and she was recruited by Radicle to guide its PR and communication efforts.
After graduating from UC Berkeley and the Haas School of Business, Grace served in Americorps and then worked as an academic journal reviewer for Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. She then founded and ran a content firm, publishing ~10 million words annually for online and traditional brands, such as Gillette, Bacardi, and eHealthinsurance, as well as the world’s largest ad agency. She spearheaded content development for several Silicon Valley success stories from beta stage through acquisition, notably Archives.com (acquired by Ancestry.com) and Uptake (acquired by Groupon).
After witnessing her grandmother’s heartbreaking, late-stage Alzheimer’s, Grace began transitioning into healthcare and research, working for Mt. Sinai Health Systems and BJC Healthcare. She is currently in grad school at Harvard, where her research focuses on Alzheimer’s prevention and etiology.
Grace has a wonderful son from whom she learns constantly. Her favorite way to travel is with a backpack, a one-way ticket, and the Spirit wind.
Rebel-with-a-Cause. Organizer. Spontaneous.
Through the Latin-X program at UC San Diego, Emerly first became connected to Radicle Science as a program management intern for Radicle ACES, the first-of-its-kind, multi-brand CBD study. Emerly’s background, both cultural and professional, mirrors Radicle Science’s mission of increasing access to affordable health and wellness products and, ultimately, democratizing medicines. She’s passionate about being a part of a movement that is revolutionizing the traditional clinical trial process. Emerly finds herself most useful and fulfilled by working on the management end of Radicle Science and ensuring optimized efficiency. She sees her employment with Radicle Science as not just a career, but a way for her to give back to her community.
Emerly earned her B.S. in Public Health with a Concentration in Health Policy and Management Sciences at UC San Diego. She was programs intern at Startup San Diego, where she played a fundamental role in designing and creating their signature event playbook.
Emerly enjoys going on long hikes around beautiful San Diego. She loves baking, traveling, attending concerts and comedy shows, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Creative. Enthusiastic. Explorer.
Varun is passionate about using technology to solve practical, real-world business problems and engineer products that positively impact the world, which is why Radicle’s B-corp mission resonates with him. His goal is to gain a wide breadth of experience across different disciplines, so when a friend approached him about joining Radicle Science, he jumped at the chance.
Varun got his B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Business from UC San Diego. He was interested in using data to make practical decisions, so decided to stay and get his graduate M.S. in Machine Learning and Data Science, also at UC San Diego. Throughout his education, Varun has interned in different industries across the US. He has built internal software to keep track of product features, implemented a data simulation for next-generation MEO satellites and spearheaded the AI initiative for a cloud video processing project.
Varun was fortunate to grow up in different countries around the globe, including India, Kenya, Singapore, Netherlands and experience their different cultures. This has set him on a journey to explore what life has to offer and use these lessons to become the happiest, healthiest and most positive version of himself.
Tenacious. Empathetic. Creative
Rachel came upon the innovative work being accomplished by Radicle Science and was drawn in by our emphasis on both workplace and participant diversity. This resonated with her desire for personal growth and for advocating positive change in the world. At Radicle, she enjoys being one-on-one with study volunteers, and ensuring proper protocols with cross-functional teams. For Rachel, her current role, the timing, the sense of purpose, and the alignment with her personal convictions roll up into a game-changing opportunity at Radicle Science.
Rachel has an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree (MLIS) at the University of Alabama. Her coursework in the MLIS program has strengthened her passion for advocacy as it promotes and explores the tenants of equity, diversity, and inclusivity. She has more than eight years of professional clinical animal care experience, which gives her a broad understanding of clinical study requirements.
Rachel enjoys hiking with her rescue pups Denver, a husky mix, and Shelly, a border collie mix. When she’s not getting her hands dirty gardening, she’s painting everything from wind chimes to coffee tables. She also frequents nearby music venues to hear the work of local artists.
Motivated. Resourceful. Dedicated.
Megan worked in oncology for eighteen years before she was contacted by Dr. Emily Pauli about an open position on her Radicle Science research team. While working together for a number of years in Dr. Emily’s former oncology lab, they both shared similar frustrations with the traditional research model. She was excited by Radicle’s vision of making studies more available to diverse groups and researching what they consume in their daily lives. At Radicle, Megan loves working with volunteers and ensuring they have the best experiences possible. She enjoys trouble-shooting and getting deeper into the details of our studies.
As a Research Lab Coordinator Megan oversaw the collection, processing, and storage of research patient specimens. She was also on the Cancer Committee at her local hospital helping doctors, nurses and other medical professionals create many procedures for the oncology community. During Megan’s career in oncology she gave upwards of 20,000 informed consents for real world pharma trials.
Megan enjoys spending time with her husband Joe and their two kids, Jaxon and Baylor, at the beach and in the mountains. Her hobbies include watching (and shouting at) baseball and football games, gardening in her backyard and crafting. She is also a huge un-ironic fan of Hallmark holiday movies.
Adventurous. Caring. Active.
Lara is an adventurous individual passionate about multiculturalism, having lived in Belgium, Russia, Brazil, and currently in the US. For this reason she became part of the Latin-X Leadership Program at The Basement at UC San Diego while pursuing her B.A in International Business and B.S in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Design and Interaction. After she shared her goals with the Latin-X representative, he connected her with Pelin at Radicle Science. Radicle’s diverse, positive company culture, and our data-driven approach to everything we do inspired her to intern, then join as a full time employee a few months later.
While pursuing her degree at UC San Diego, Lara worked in a department that promoted educational and cultural events for international and out-of-state students, as well as mentored Brazilian high school students to prepare them for college in the US. She also interned for one of Brazil’s largest retailers, Americanas S.A, as a Marketing Assistant, and aided the creation of a loyalty program for one of their brands.
Lara is an early bird who spends the wee dawn hours lifting weights, doing yoga, kickboxing, playing tennis, or taking spin classes. When she is not traveling, she enjoys spending time at home reading on her Kindle.
Altruist. Change Agent. Truth Seeker. Human Potential.
Leo joined Radicle Science as VP of Brand Partnerships after supporting the company as an advisor in its early stages. He is a seasoned business development and cannabis executive, strategist, designer, and human performance enthusiast.
Leo’s experience spans several countries in the cannabis and technology industries, and includes advising companies on their financing strategies, M&A activities, and go-to-market campaigns. He is passionate about the enhancement of human performance using nootropics, novel supplements, adaptogens, and herbal compounds. He is dedicated to the research and validation of these substances to unlock their full potential while providing a safe and clean mode of consumption.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are the core tenets of Leo’s mission to enable people to access affordable and safe medicines and increase the agency they have over their health.
Epidemiologist. Behavioral Scientist. New Mom.
Jessica Saleska, PhD, MPH is an epidemiologist and behavioral scientist. She is deeply interested in using insights from psychology, behavioral economics and human-centered design to foster positive experiences and behaviors, particularly in people’s encounters with the healthcare system and health research. She is presently a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA’s Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior. When not working, she loves to trail run, listen to behavioral science podcasts and hang out outside with her husband and (brand new!) baby.
Passionate. Visionary. Driven.
Emma was introduced to Pelin Thorogood through a mutual friend and interned for Pelin’s Wholistic Research and Education Foundation. Shortly after Pelin and Dr. Jeff Co-founded Radicle Science in November 2020, Emma crossed over to work as an intern with Radicle. After graduating in June 2022, she transitioned into a full-time position on the research team as a Study Manager, as she is passionate about pioneering change in the clinical trial space.
Emma earned her B.S. in Physiological Science from UC Los Angeles, where she was also a member of the Women’s Swimming and Diving team. She found her true passion and mission to become an innovative scientist and a warrior for equitable health care after a tragic nerve injury ended her collegiate swimming career. She worked on the Student-Athlete Mentors (SAMS) Bruin Brave campaign, which aimed to destigmatize mental health in the student-athlete community and encourage student-athletes to seek the support they need and to realize their worth outside of sport. She was also a member of Dr. Pearl Quijada’s UCLA Cardiology research lab and weekly journal club, and a multiple-time recipient of the UCLA Athletics Scholar-Athlete award. She is currently pursuing higher education in the medical field.
Outside of work, Emma enjoys her daily yoga practice, cuddling her two cats, traveling, and spending time in the sunshine.
Cyclist. Health Guru. Wellness Expert.
Dave has been in the natural products/nutritional supplement industry for 25+ years, selling everything from raw materials, contract manufacturing and finished products. He joined Radicle Science after a brief stint selling pharmaceuticals, an experience that made him truly appreciate working in wellness rather than the sickness industry.
He was excited to join the Radicle Rebellion disrupting the natural products industry, as he fully understands the leverage that clinically proven products can have on consumer confidence.
When not working, he enjoys extolling the benefits of dietary supplements, racing bicycles, fitness training and leading a healthy lifestyle.
Our advisory team brings together experts from the cutting edge of science, technology, health and beyond to support our mission to offer the first ever path to natural medicine validation.
Former Chief Science, Health and Regulatory Officer for The Coca-Cola Company Founder/Principal of FairHaven451
Dr. Rhona S. Applebaum is a widely recognized and deeply experienced leader at the nexus of industry, government, and civil society, acquired from 40 years of distinguished activity in the food and beverage sector. Based on her insights and ability to identify emerging issues, knowledge of evidence-based science, regulatory policy and dedication to their fair application, Rhona excels at building strong relationships across public and private sectors alike.
Serving most recently as The Coca-Cola Company’s first Chief Science and Health Officer, Rhona developed and executed the Company’s global health and well-being strategy. She served as a credible and effective public voice for policy, using her expertise in food safety, nutrition and health and her ability to engage diverse audiences, to build understanding and consensus around critical health and industry issues. Previously Rhona was Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer for the National Food Processors Association (NFPA), where she was responsible for the overall direction of NFPA’s three laboratory centers, the Office of Food Safety Programs and NFPA’s Research Foundation. Earlier she held leadership positions with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, the American Cocoa Research Institute, and the National Confectioners Association.
Rhona has held numerous high-level public assignments, with service on the Dept of State’s Advisory Committee on Int’l & Economic Policy, CDC Foundation’s Roundtable on Global Health Threats, the Harvard Medical School Global Health Advisory Council, Center for Strategic & International Studies Commission on Smart Global Health Policy and various Advisory Boards for the USFDA and USDA. She has also held significant Board and Executive Leadership roles including the International Life Sciences Institute, the International Food Information Council, Georgia Governor Deal’s Advisory Council on Childhood Obesity, Georgia Shape and Health Connect South. She received her BA from Wilson College in history and biology, a Master’s degree in nutrition and food science from Drexel University and a Ph.D. in food microbiology and food safety from the University of Wisconsin.
Rhona currently serves as a member of several international and science advisory boards including The Rollins School of Public Health-Emory University, ANCORED Communications, The Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation, and Radicle Science. Through FairHaven451, an LLC she founded in 2016, she also provides regulatory science insights, guidance, policy advice and strategic solutions to the food and supplement sectors.
Sherry is Medical Director at United Healthcare, an entrepreneur,and was previously President of the San Diego County Medical Society. She is a political activist for physicians and the patients they serve, as well as Associate Professor at University of California San Diego.
Former FDA Senior Advisor for Science Innovation and Policy. Former Director, Office of Innovative Scientific Research Technologies, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Founder/CEO of MyOwnMed (patient-centric clinical trial tech platform).
Katharina is CEO and Founder of OccamzRazor, an organization using computational drug discovery to create a cure for neurodegenerative diseases. She was Stanford’s first Ph.D. in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, which she achieved in record time, and was listed in MIT’s 35 under 35 innovators and Forbes’ 30 under 30.
Sheldon’s focus is on the imagining and creation of innovative, scalable, user-friendly, and secure software for growth and customer happiness. His knowledge and experience with healthcare, cloud, data analytics, security, applied AI, and software development team leadership is a welcome asset for Radicle Science.
Sheldon has been a technical and business leader at numerous start-ups and contributed his expertise to multiple IPOs. While at WebMD, he held multiple senior technical leadership roles, including Chief Security Officer (startup through IPO to $1B/yr revenue). He has developed major clinical trials systems, electronic medical record systems, and payment systems including Medicare Advantage. He has been an advisor to several digital health startups leading to successful corporate acquisitions and is a long-term mentor and judge at the MassChallenge accelerator.
Sheldon earned his PhD, EE, and SM degrees from MIT (his Master’s thesis actually got him the PhD), and was a real rocket scientist at MIT Draper.
Jaclyn is a food and consumer products quality and safety systems engineer and Executive Director of Clean Label Project, a national non-profit and standards development organization with the mission to bring truth and transparency to food and consumer product labeling.
Before coming to Clean Label Project, Jaclyn held numerous technical, standards development, food safety, quality, and executive roles within the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, NSF International. Her expertise is in organic, gluten-free, non-gmo labeling, food safety, and label claim substantiation and compliance.
Charlie is a Media Executive and Film Producer of titles including Air Force One and Bring It On. His film and stage enterprises generated more than $2 billion in revenue and he is a production partner to Kevin Costner and Harrison Ford, as well as a former board member of the National Basketball Association.
Ajay Verma is a neurologist, neuroscientist, drug developer, inventor and biotech science advisor. His career spans clinical practice as a general neurologist, teaching and research in academia, and drug development in large and small biopharma.
Ajay is currently a General Partner with the Formation Venture Engineering (FVE) life science investment group in Boston, MA. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the FVE Foundry, which is a new life science Incubator affiliated with FVE focused on evaluating game changing technologies for potential Biotech company formation.
Ajay has a been in the Biopharma industry for over 16 years and most recently headed R&D efforts at Yumanity Therapeutics. Prior to that he was the EVP of Research and Experimental Medicine at Codiak Biosciences. He has also served as CMO at United Neuroscience (now called Vaxxinity), VP of Neurology at Biogen and Novartis, and Director of Neuroscience Experimental Medicine at Merck. Ajay has assembled and led multiple clinical development groups and teams in large Pharma where he helped shape Neurology disease area focus. He has been in charge of shaping company-wide strategy and managing drug pipeline execution in smaller biotech companies.
His drug development experience spans small molecule, peptide/protein, antibody, oligonucleotide, vaccine and exosome drug platforms given via multiple dosing routes. He has largely focused on translational and early clinical development in neurology indications using precision drug development approaches that leverage biomarkers and experimental medicine paradigms. Ajay has considerable expertise in using biomarker technologies for drug development efforts including imaging techniques (MRI, PET, SPECT), electrophysiology (EEG, polysomnography, EMG), biofluid analytes (Blood CSF), digital biomarkers (cognitive, motor), tissue biopsy and multi-omics approaches. He has experience in drug delivery approaches through multiple dosing routes including intrathecal administration.
Ajay’s industry efforts have contributed to multiple clinical development programs in diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, ALS, spinal muscular atrophy, stroke, migraine, neuropathic pain, sleep disorders, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell disease, glioblastoma, and leptomeningeal cancer. He has developed novel inventions and experimental medicine approaches for assessing disease progression and drug effects in cognition, sleep, neuropathic pain, remyelination, muscle weakness,
and movement disorder. He has made contributions to many drug candidates still in clinical development and the approved drugs Aduhelm® and Spinraza®.
He has continuously been engaged in teaching and mentoring clinicians and scientists entering the Biopharma industry including the creation of a teaching fellowship for drug developers at Biogen. Ajay is a scientific advisor to several biomarker, CRO and biotech companies, a Visiting Adjunct Professor at U of Southampton and U of Rhode Island and an Independent Review Committee member for Target ALS.
Prior to Biopharma, Ajay was a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army, Professor of Neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and Staff Neurologist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. This military experience exposed him not only to general adult and childhood neurology but also to traumatic brain injury and other combat medicine clinical problems. While in uniform, Ajay maintained a constant track record of extramural research funding, scientific publication and mentoring of medical students, graduate Ph.D. candidates and post-doctoral fellows.
Ajay received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Johns Hopkins University, where he trained in the laboratory of Dr. Solomon H. Snyder. His Ph.D. graduate thesis work in Neurotoxicology spanned intracellular calcium regulation, mitochondrial biology and gaseous neurotransmitters. Ajay’s academic research has led to several highly cited publications.
Professor, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Science, UCLA. Director, UCLA Laboratory of Circadian & Sleep Medicine.
Christopher S. Colwell is a Neuroscientist who has served on the UCLA School of Medicine faculty since he joined the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in 1997. He became a Professor in 2008. Dr. Colwell earned his B.S. in Neuroscience from Vanderbilt University in 1985. During this time, he started his research in circadian rhythms under the mentorship of Dr. T. Page. Dr. Colwell earned his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Virginia in 1991. His laboratory’s research has focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms in mammals. Dysfunction in the timing these daily cycles is a key symptom in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Better understanding the basic biology of this timing system should result in new therapies to improve the quality of life of these patients and the people who care for them.
Dr. Chris D’Adamo is an epidemiologist with expertise in the fields of nutrition, dietary supplementation, and the impact of modifiable lifestyle factors on human health. Dr. D’Adamo received his Ph.D. in Epidemiology in 2010 from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is currently an Assistant Professor with dual appointments in the Departments of Family & Community Medicine and Epidemiology & Public Health.
Dr. D’Adamo serves as the Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School
of Medicine, the first academic-based integrative medicine center in the world with a 30-year history that has featured over 900 peer-reviewed scientific publications, over $50 million of competitive research funding, an expansive medical professional education program, and offering clinical care.
Dr. D’Adamo has served as Principal Investigator on a wide variety of clinical trials and observational studies in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and multi-modality integrative and functional medicine interventions. These studies have included clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of commercially-available dietary supplements in promoting human health and wellness, observational studies evaluating the relationship between micronutrients and markers of healthy aging, cutting-edge studies in the burgeoning field of nutritional genetics, and literature reviews of the effects of dietary supplements on human health.
Dr. D’Adamo has authored over 60 publications in numerous peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals including Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Nutrition Research, American Journal of Health Promotion, Journal of
Nutrition, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Nutrients, Journal of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics, Journal of Nutrition, Aging, and Health, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Food Quality and Preference, American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, Surgery, Journal of Surgical Research, and Cochrane
Database of Systematic Reviews, among many others.
Dr. D’Adamo has also contributed medical textbook chapters to the 6 th and 7 th editions of Rheumatology, the 5 th and 6 th editions of Practical Management of Pain, and gives invited lectures across the world on nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and other topics in integrative, functional, and lifestyle medicine.
Alongside these academic avenues, Dr. D’Adamo is a Senior Research Advisor to the Institute for Functional Medicine and serves on the scientific advisory boards of several industry leaders in nutrition and dietary supplements. He has also provided expert testimony in medical cases and is frequently sought for media commentary, including USA Today, Men’s Health, WebMD, Natural Health, SHAPE Magazine, Dr. Oz, Food Network, Good Housekeeping, PBS News Hour, AARP, The Arthritis Foundation, New York Magazine, MarketWatch, and many other popular media outlets.
Davey Smith, MD, MAS, is an infectious disease specialist and translational research virologist. In his translational research, he uses basic science techniques to answer clinically relevant questions. Dr. Smith’s primary research involves both figuring out how to stop the transmission of HIV and curing HIV, and he has published over 200 scientific publications in these areas. In 2010, Dr. Smith was named HIV Researcher of the Year by the HIV Medical Association, and he became the co-director and principal investigator of the San Diego Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) in 2016.
Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, Dr. Smith has been actively engaged in the international effort to find safe and effective treatments. In particular, he is the international protocol chair for the ACTIV-2 treatment study, which is a part of the US government’s Operation Warp Speed. This study is designed to find effective therapies for persons with early COVID-19.
Dr. Smith graduated from East Tennessee State University School of Medicine in 1996. He completed his internship, residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at UC San Diego and stayed to complete his fellowship in Infectious Diseases. He joined the UC San Diego faculty in 2003, and was promoted to full professor in 2012. In 2017, he was promoted to Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at UC San Diego. In 2020, he was appointed the Florence Seeley Riford Chair in AIDS Research at UC San Diego. He has been elected as a fellow to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Scripps Clinic Sleep Center.
Derek Loewy, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified sleep medicine specialist. Dr. Loewy received his doctorate at the University of Ottawa, Canada in 1996. He completed a sleep research fellowship at the University of Arizona in 1999 and his sleep medicine fellowship at Stanford University in 2001, where he co-founded the Insomnia Program at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Center. He is currently Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, CA. Dr. Loewy’s specialties include cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) and bright light therapy in the treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
Co-director, Biostatistics, Scripps Research Translational Institute
Senior Staff Scientist, Scripps Research
Jill Waalen joined the Translational Institute at Scripps Research in November 2010 as a biostatistician. She plans to continue her research at Scripps Research while providing biostatistics expertise to investigators at the Translational Institute.
She is the author or co-author of over 45 journal articles, focusing on the genetic epidemiology of hematologic diseases, including the 2010 report titled “More pieces to the iron chelation puzzle,” for Translational Research. In addition to serving on the editorial board of that journal, she is the deputy editor of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and Associate Director of the U.C. San Diego/San Diego State University (SDSU) General Preventive Medicine Residency. She also is a lecturer in SDSU’s Graduate School of Public Health.
Before applying for medical school at the University of Wisconsin, from which she received her medical degree in 1997, she was a science and medical writer, first at the National Cancer Institute and then at the Medical College of Wisconsin. A graduate of University of California at Santa Cruz’s science communication program, she has continued to write about science. Examples include her 2002 article, “Boosting brain repair,” for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Bulletin and “Gleevec’s glory days,” in 2001, also for the HHMI newsletter.
Elected a Diplomat of the American Board of Preventive Medicine in 2001, Jill was awarded a bachelor’s degree in Biology and History at Concordia College in Minnesota in 1984 and the master’s degree in Physiology at the University of Wisconsin in 1989. In 2001, she received a Master’s in Public Health from San Diego State University.
Clinical Psychologist & Research Scientist. Adjunct Faculty, California Institute of Integral Studies.
Clinical psychologist and research scientist with 10+ years of experience in neuroscience and mental health research. With a specialization in health psychology, Dr. Laird’s expertise lies in how stress “gets under the skin” to affect mental and physical well-being. Her program of research focuses on designing, evaluating, and improving upon mind-body approaches to improving health and happiness. Dr. Laird earned her M.S. and PhD in Clinical Science from Vanderbilt University and served as a post-doctoral research scholar at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
Professor, Brain-body interaction, UCLA
Dr. Kirsten Tillisch is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Her clinical and scientific work has focused on increasing our understanding of brain-body interactions, with particular interest in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic pain. She has utilized functional and structural neuroimaging to identify disease relevant central abnormalities in pain syndromes, also utilizing pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to identify treatment effects. She has demonstrated microbiome-gut-brain interactions in humans, showing the effects of probiotic administration on brain function in healthy women. This scientific work has informed her views of clinical medicine and health, shifting from a traditional Western disease-based focus towards one that values the whole person and the complex interactions between the individual and the environment. Her main clinical interest is in advancing the use of evidence based dietary, movement-based, and mind-body interventions to improve health and wellbeing.
Professor, Behavioral Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Vandrey is an experimental psychologist with degrees from the University of Delaware (BA) and University of Vermont (PhD). He is currently a Professor at the Johns Hopkins University Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU). Dr. Vandrey’s research focuses primarily on the impact of route of administration, dose, and chemical composition of cannabis products on resultant drug effects and pharmacokinetics. In addition, Dr. Vandrey has been involved with a broad range of studies related to the risks and benefits of medicinal cannabis use, the effects of cannabis use on sleep, cannabis withdrawal and the treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder, cannabis product testing, and developing measures of cannabis use behavior.
"I’ve personally experienced how a data-driven approach can transform entire industries. I co-founded Radicle Science to bring that same evidence-based thinking to advance natural medicine science. It is about time we leverage the power of rigorous health outcome data at scale to inform smarter health and business decisions for all."
"I spent my whole life becoming a physician so I could heal, only to realize our modern medicines were failing so many folks who were suffering. I co-founded Radicle Science to unlock an entirely new category of trusted treatments. Radicle Science is ushering in a new era of effective democratized medicines by validating the health effects of natural products for the first time."
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"Spending the first half of my career in genetics & genomics, I realized the power of collaborative research, streamlining processes, and harnessing technology for the greater good. Attempting to apply the same philosophy to oncology drug development, I met opposition... frequently. I joined Radicle Science to disrupt the status quo, leverage the rigor of clinical research without the inefficiencies of traditional models, and bring natural products BACK into the forefront of Western medicine (as it was for centuries prior)."
We’re a highly-experienced team of renowned experts and trailblazers operating at the intersection of digital health, big data, and natural medicines.
Our collective experience in clinical trials, big data and analytics, public health, pharma, FDA and digital marketing bring a new approach to clinical trials and insight generation.
Our team has collectively co-authored thousands of peer-reviewed publications throughout their scientific careers, bringing that experience to the Radicle Proof Engine™