Resume
Experience
2024 - Present
Principal Scientist
Episteme Prognostics Inc.
Brooklyn, NY
I lead the development and validation of a chromatin accessibility–based platform for pancreatic cancer, optimizing the ATAC-array workflow for clinical biospecimens by integrating QC checkpoints, lot-to-lot consistency testing, and CLIA-aligned SOPs. My work combines ATAC-seq, NGS, and enrichment technologies to drive biomarker discovery and validation across tumor types. Leveraging Six Sigma methodology, I streamlined sample accessioning and assay performance, contributing to lab-wide process improvements and translational readiness. I supervise and mentor junior scientists, coordinate cross-functional teams across wet lab, bioinformatics, clinical partners, and CROs, and ensure longitudinal sample QC aligned with patient cohorts and trial timelines.
2021 - 2024
Senior Research Scientist
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, NY
Led preclinical drug discovery efforts in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), aimed at identifying and validating novel therapeutic targets to enhance the efficacy of epigenetic therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. I developed complex co-culture systems incorporating tumor cells and multiple immune cell populations to model the PDAC tumor microenvironment. High-parameter flow cytometry was employed to characterize immune subsets and treatment-induced shifts in the tumor-immune interface. In vivo, I designed and executed numerous treatment studies and survival surgeries using orthotopic and subcutaneous PDAC models. Therapeutic responses were evaluated using cytokine array profiling, survival analysis, and immune phenotyping. I also integrated RNA-seq data to identify pathway-level changes and resistance mechanisms.
2017 - 2021
Postdoctoral Researcher
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Led preclinical studies aimed at identifying novel molecular targets to improve response to chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). My work revealed a previously unrecognized role for the CTLH E3 ubiquitin ligase complex in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. To functionally characterize these findings, I designed and generated multiple genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), including tissue-specific conditional knockouts and CRISPR-based knock-ins. I also established over 20 stable isogenic cell lines used in mechanistic studies and high-throughput screening. These models supported numerous in vivo and in vitro drug treatment experiments conducted across collaborative research programs. This project advanced understanding of therapy resistance mechanisms and highlighted new avenues for combinatorial targeting in NSCLC.
2013 - 2017
Research Fellow
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY
I identified AGC kinases, including SGK1, as key regulators of thyroid cancer cell survival and resistance to PI3K pathway inhibition, while collaborating with industry partners to screen and validate small-molecule inhibitors against novel kinase targets. I established and optimized primary thyrocyte cultures and generated more than 20 engineered cell lines for mechanistic and drug response studies, and supported over 100 in vivo and in vitro experiments across collaborative projects.
Professional skillset
Preclinical Oncology Models (PDX, GEMMs, Humanized)
Biomarker Discovery & Validation
CRISPR, Lentiviral Transduction,
Cell Line Engineering
Flow Cytometry & Immune Profiling
Assay Development (CLIA-aligned, Diagnostic R&D)
Epigenomics (ATAC-seq, DNA Methylation)
Trial Readiness & Assay Integration
cfDNA extraction, library preparation
Handling and processing of clinical samples
Certifications
ASQ CSSBB
Certified Six Sigma Black Belt
Education
2009 - 2012
Ph.D. in Life Science
University of Sannio, Benevento
Italy
2007 - 2009
Master degree in Genetic Technologies
University of Sannio, Benevento
Italy