CASSS – Sharing Science Solutions is excited to announce the election of Christof Finkler, Nomalie Jaya, Andy Weiskopf, and Heidi Zhang to the Board of Directors. CASSS Board Members are elected by the Associate Directors of the organization, a group of volunteers who have contributed significantly to the association.
Reflecting on why he chose to seek a seat on the board, Christof believes, “CASSS should continue to strengthen the connection between academia, regulatory authorities, and industry as this is one of its biggest assets. Providing opportunities for young professionals and students should be part of this effort.”
Nomalie shares why CASSS is important to the future, “CASSS meetings provide exceptional opportunities to drive innovative thinking to find global solutions primarily due to the unique composition of the meeting attendees from academia, a range of industry at different stages of growth, and global health authorities. The convergence of members from these three groups, ready to tackle tough problems in the biopharmaceutical space, combined with a dedicated and passionate volunteer base and experienced CASSS staff is a potent recipe for continued growth and success. However, CASSS needs to continually adapt with new technologies, tools, and novel ways of working to remain relevant.”
Reflecting on his experiences, Andy discusses his continued support of CASSS, “Since attending my first CASSS meeting over 15 years ago, I continue to be impressed at how we as a non-profit organization maintain our excellence as a premier scientific community for biopharmaceutical development while being unafraid to move in new directions, whether it’s new areas of science, new geographies, or new modalities. I have seen first-hand how CASSS can adapt to emerging trends and become a leading venue for scientific dialogue in a quickly growing field.”
In the upcoming term, Heidi is dedicated to enhancing CASSS and looking to “continue to strengthen existing CASSS communities by connecting different conferences and interest groups. Grow new membership from academia, supplier, vendor, and new membership in emerging countries through local biotech/pharma companies and regulatory agencies.”
Christof Finkler currently holds the position of Senior Portfolio and Technical Advisor for Biotech Development at F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Prior to joining Roche, he was associated with Degussa-Hüls. Finkler earned his Master’s Degree in chemistry and his PhD in analytical chemistry from the Saarland University.
With a career spanning over twenty-five years in the biopharmaceutical industry, Finkler brings extensive experience across all development stages and the commercialization phase. He has actively contributed to the Analytics Technologies Europe Symposium (AT Europe) organizing committee and has served as an Associate Director since 2015. Finkler's leadership roles include co-chairing AT Europe in 2018, leading workshops and mini-cases at WCBP, and participating in numerous panel discussions, discussion groups, and roundtable discussions during his tenure at CASSS.
Nomalie Jaya currently holds the position of Senior Director, Product Quality at Pfizer, Inc. Prior to joining Pfizer, Inc., Nomalie worked in the areas of analytical development at Seagen and Corixa Corporation. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from Penn State University, and later obtained a PhD in biochemistry & molecular biophysics from the University of Arizona.
Jaya has actively contributed to various committees, including serving as a committee member forCE in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Industries: Symposium on the Practical Applications for the Analysis of Proteins, Nucleotides & Small Molecules (CE Pharm), CMC Strategy Forum North America, and the Northern California Regional Forum. Her leadership roles include co-chairing CE Pharm (2020-2021) and co-chairing sessions at both CMC North America and WCBP.
Andy Weiskopf presently holds the position of Vice President, CMC Regulatory Affairs at Sana Biotechnology. Prior to joining Sana, he gained valuable experience in various analytical development and CMC regulatory roles at Biogen and Cetek Corporation. Weiskopf earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Brandeis University and went on to achieve a PhD in bioanalytical chemistry from Northeastern University.
Since 2013, Weiskopf has served as an Associate Director and is currently an active member of the Cell & Gene Therapy Products (CGTP) organizing committee. His involvement extends to various committees at CASSS, including the CMC Strategy Forum North America, Japan, Northeast Regional Forum, and WCBP. Furthermore, he has co-chaired multiple CMC Strategy Fora (2015-2017) and the CGTP Symposium (2018-2020). Additionally, Weiskopf has shared his insights as a speaker at CMC Strategy Fora in North America and Japan.
Heidi Zhang is the EVP, Head of Tech Ops at Tune Therapeutics. Prior to joining Tune, she held leadership positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb/Juno, Genentech, Novartis, and Amgen. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Puget Sound and PhD in chemistry from Oregon State University. She is a Board member of Axion Biosystem and Clear Solutions Laboratories.
Since 2015, Zhang has been serving as an Associate Director. She has also actively contributed to the WCBP organizing committee. Currently, Zhang is a member of the Cell & Gene Therapy Products (CGTP) organizing committee. Her leadership extends to co-chairing CGTP (2019-2021) and participating as a co-chair in sessions and workshops for the CMC Strategy Forum North America and WCBP.