Meet Our Leaders
Sheila Ann Mikhail, JD, MBA
Founder & CEO, Board Member
Sheila Mikhail has over 20 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience and is CEO and co-founder of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a company she started in 2001. She has also served as CEO and co-founder of Bamboo Therapeutics, which in 20 months raised $50 million, advanced a therapeutic for GAN into the clinic, completed pre-IND studies for a Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapeutic, and built a GMP manufacturing facility. Bamboo was acquired by Pfizer in August 2016 in a deal valued at $827 million.
Carrie Helland, MBA
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Carrie Helland is an industry leader with over 20 years of therapeutic drug development experience. She started her career as a formulation biochemist at Amgen, later moving into leadership roles in drug development and company formation in oncology and infectious disease. She was instrumental in the early growth and success of VIR Biotechnology and later joined ARCH Venture Partners as an Entrepreneur in Residence, aiding in the creation and expansion of portfolio companies.
Irnela Bajrovic, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
Dr. Irnela Bajrovic received her PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. Her graduate work established the viability of the thin film technology as a superior method of vaccine stabilization, which bypasses cold-chain maintenance and has the potential to simplify the transportation of biologics. Since completing her PhD, Dr. Bajrovic established and led a formulation team at a leading biotechnology company, resulting in a patent and multiple publications.
R. Jude Samulski, PhD
Co-Founder, Board Member
Dr. Jude Samulski received his PhD in medical microbiology and immunology from the University of Florida. His graduate work (1978-82) demonstrated the first use of AAV as a viral vector and culminated in the first U.S. patent involving non-AAV genes inserted into AAV. Dr. Samulski has worked with AAV for 40 years, and for 25 years, he was director of the University of North Carolina Gene Therapy Center. He was the scientific founder of Bamboo Therapeutics, Inc. and served as the Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Chairman of the company until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2016. Dr. Samulski has advanced therapeutics into human clinical trials for hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, giant axonal neuropathy, and heart failure. He holds more than 200 patents related to AAV technology.
Megan Livingston, MSc
Vice President, Business Development
Megan Livingston gained almost a decade of research experience developing biomaterials, drug delivery systems, tissue engineering constructs, and stem cell therapies before leaving the lab. Prior to joining Jurata, she worked in new product development, helping cell and gene therapy companies scale up their GMP manufacturing and clinically translate their therapies. At Jurata, Ms. Livingston has contributed extensively to client development, investor recruitment and coordination, and design of its corporate growth and regulatory strategies.
Meet Our Team
Katherine Bowers, PhD
Katherine Bowers, PhD
Katherine Bowers, PhD
Principal Scientist, North Carolina Site Head
Dr. Katherine Bowers holds a PhD in Chemistry with over 20 years of experience working in the Biotechnology industry as a protein formulation development scientist. She specializes in the biophysical characterization and stabilization of large biomolecules, including mAbs, fusion proteins, an
Principal Scientist, North Carolina Site Head
Dr. Katherine Bowers holds a PhD in Chemistry with over 20 years of experience working in the Biotechnology industry as a protein formulation development scientist. She specializes in the biophysical characterization and stabilization of large biomolecules, including mAbs, fusion proteins, and virus-like particles. Dr. Bowers is passionate about driving pharmaceutical development using sound, high quality, fit-for-purpose scientific data packages. Dr. Bowers enjoys mentoring junior staff and empowering them to become the best scientists they can be, bringing strength and diversity to the scientific process of biotherapeutic development.
Nisha Nair, PhD
Katherine Bowers, PhD
Katherine Bowers, PhD
Senior Scientist, Manufacturing, Science, & Technology
Dr. Nisha Nair holds a Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases, specializing in vaccine design and efficacy determination through preclinical studies. With over 9 years of experience in both academic research and the biotech industry, she has honed her expertise in vaccine and immunoassay develop
Senior Scientist, Manufacturing, Science, & Technology
Dr. Nisha Nair holds a Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases, specializing in vaccine design and efficacy determination through preclinical studies. With over 9 years of experience in both academic research and the biotech industry, she has honed her expertise in vaccine and immunoassay development. At Jurata, Dr. Nair is dedicated to supporting the development, optimization, and scale-up of manufacturing processes, as well as enhancing bioanalytical methods and formulation optimization for thin film and formulation products.
Sara Silver
Katherine Bowers, PhD
Marcelo Calderon, MSc
Research Associate II
Ms. Sara R. Silver received her B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from North Carolina Central University. She most recently worked with AAV, where she was tasked to find a universal formulation for their delivery. With over 6 years of lab experience, Ms. Silver has worked with cell culture, va
Research Associate II
Ms. Sara R. Silver received her B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from North Carolina Central University. She most recently worked with AAV, where she was tasked to find a universal formulation for their delivery. With over 6 years of lab experience, Ms. Silver has worked with cell culture, various analytical techniques, technology transfer, upstream and downstream processing, small and large scale manufacturing, and formulation development. At Jurata, she works with the formulations team to develop and optimize assays for Jurata's thin film technology.
Marcelo Calderon, MSc
Marcelo Calderon, MSc
Marcelo Calderon, MSc
Research Associate II
Mr. Marcelo Calderon earned his B.Sc. in Biotechnology and his M.Sc. in Biotechnology Engineering from Monterrey Tech and Texas A&M University, respectively. Mr. Calderon has a passion for sciences and medicine and loves working on novel technologies that aim to improve the world. At Jurata, Mr. Calderon supports the
Research Associate II
Mr. Marcelo Calderon earned his B.Sc. in Biotechnology and his M.Sc. in Biotechnology Engineering from Monterrey Tech and Texas A&M University, respectively. Mr. Calderon has a passion for sciences and medicine and loves working on novel technologies that aim to improve the world. At Jurata, Mr. Calderon supports the development and analysis of formulations for Jurata's clients and partners.
Taylor Wolt
Marcelo Calderon, MSc
Taylor Slade-Adjei
Research Associate
Ms. Taylor Wolt earned a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Biotechnology from Purdue University. Previously, Ms. Wolt has done research in ADME/Toxicology, along with Oncological Immunology focusing on novel CAR-T and Macrophage therapies. She thrives in the research field with a drive and curiosity to learn and discov
Research Associate
Ms. Taylor Wolt earned a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Biotechnology from Purdue University. Previously, Ms. Wolt has done research in ADME/Toxicology, along with Oncological Immunology focusing on novel CAR-T and Macrophage therapies. She thrives in the research field with a drive and curiosity to learn and discover. At Jurata, Ms. Wolt is determined to bring a new perspective to optimizing, developing, and analyzing formulations for various API platforms.
Taylor Slade-Adjei
Marcelo Calderon, MSc
Taylor Slade-Adjei
Project Manager
Ms. Taylor Slade-Adjei has 9 years of experience as a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). With her B.S. in Psychology, she has studied internal employee, business, and client needs with a meticulous approach to fostering collaboration and delivering impactful results. From rallying diverse teams to turning chao
Project Manager
Ms. Taylor Slade-Adjei has 9 years of experience as a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). With her B.S. in Psychology, she has studied internal employee, business, and client needs with a meticulous approach to fostering collaboration and delivering impactful results. From rallying diverse teams to turning chaos into coordinated success stories, she is passionate about guiding companies/clients to shared goals! At Jurata, she manages external project timelines & deliverables.