Experiential learning opportunity for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers.
Entrepreneurial skills are critical for many high-impact careers, including academia, biotech, healthcare, private practice, investing, and consulting. Our fellowship program is a paid 10-hour weekly commitment for up to one year. This is expected to be in addition to the participants’ current responsibilities in academic research. Throughout the program, Fellows develop executive skills including competitive analysis, analytical marketing, regulatory affairs, intellectual property and aspects of legal and finance. The fellowship includes didactic sessions led by Celdara leadership, as well as invited subject matter experts. Select applicants, through expressed interest, will specifically study Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and be trained to critically examine novel AD innovations.
Lebanon, NH (CHEF Program)
Senior graduate students (at least 3 years into terminal degree), including MDs and dual degrees (e.g., MD/Ph.D., MD/MBA), as well as post-doctoral researchers are welcome to apply. Interested applicants should submit their CV, cover letter (1 page maximum), and a letter of support from PI or Department Chair to chef@celdaramedical.com.
The Lita Nelsen Prize
Celdara Medical celebrates the extraordinary contributions of Lita Nelsen as she retires from our Board of Directors after a decade of transformative leadership and visionary guidance. In honor of her unparalleled impact on the field of technology transfer, and her many contributions to our company, Celdara Medical is proud to announce the creation of the Lita Nelsen Prize.
The Lita Nelsen Prize will be awarded annually to the Celdara Fellow who demonstrates exceptional achievement in technology transfer. Honoring Lita’s legacy, the prize celebrates excellence in innovation sourcing, due diligence, and development planning. Recipients of this award will reflect her hallmark qualities of bold leadership, insight, and rigorous execution, serving as role models in advancing impactful innovation.
Alumni
Celdara has trained over 60 fellows who are pursuing a variety of academic, government and industry careers, including at Parexel, Acceleron, JDRF, Leerink, Bicycle Therapeutics, MIT, MGH, Monitor, Deloitte, Palantir, RBC Capital Markets, Genentech, Harvard, Cornell, Brigham & Women’s, and Advent Life Sciences, BMS, Virtici, and Celdara Medical.
Class of 2024-2025
Aarzoo Grover
Brandon Armstead
Caroline Sands
Georgia Fallon
Miles Wiley
Sanjana Murali
Shirine Moukaled
University of Vermont
Aarzoo Grover
During my Master’s, I worked on understanding the structure and morphology of the self-assembled structures formed by essential amino acids in different solvent and pH conditions followed by investigating them for amyloid formation. During the Ph.D., I focused on understanding the mechanism of heme monooxygenation by IsdG, a heme degrading enzyme in Staphylococcus Aureus where I spectroscopically characterized the analogue of ferryl intermediate, an immediate product of the enzymecatalyzed heme hydroxylation. Currently, the focus of my Postdoctoral research is studying the role of the mutagenic DNA translesion synthesis (TLS) pathway and its association with neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis where I will specifically study the mechanistic basis of TLS-dependent triplet repeat instability protein pathogenesis. I will also be utilizing a small molecule inhibitor for one TLS polymerase, REV1, to study possible therapeutic targeting strategies for the CAG neurodegenerative disorders.
Brown University
Brandon Armstead
My research interests surround checkpoint protein interactions during acute critical illness leading to multiple organ failure. My thesis work incorporated single cell multiomics in resolving the molecular nature of shock induced priming for acute respiratory distress syndrome. I am currently working towards the development of a novel therapeutic for bacterial sepsis with the Rhode Island Hospital Division of Surgical Research.
Baylor College of Medicine
Caroline Sands
I am currently a 5th year M.D./Ph.D. student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Following graduation from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in French, I joined Dr. Carl June’s lab at Penn as a research technician where I focused on the development of universal CAR-T cells for two years. I then matriculated to Baylor’s medical scientist training program, and I am now in the third year of my Ph.D., investigating the role of post-transcriptional regulation in hematopoietic stem cell function. Clinically, I have a strong interest in both malignant and non-malignant hematology, as well as oncology more broadly.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Georgia Fallon
I am a PhD candidate in the Lai Lab at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. My research focuses on the isolation and characterization of human monoclonal antibodies (hu-mAbs) against the emerging and potentially fatal tick-borne Powassan virus. I have developed a panel of over 70 novel hu-mAbs that target Powassan virus with varying degrees of binding and neutralizing capabilities in vitro. I am currently working on testing the best neutralizing hu-mAbs in vivo and am excited to see what we discover!
Auburn University
Miles Wiley
I am a Ph.D. candidate mentored by Drs. Vishnu Suppiramaniam and Mianda Reed. Our research investigates the molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms underlying prenatal cannabinoid exposure (PCE) mediated alterations in synaptic plasticity and memory. I am currently performing research in molecular biology, data science, and western blotting, analyzing the changes in the hippocampus of THC-exposed rodent offspring.
Baylor College of Medicine
Sanjana Murali
I study how astrocytes regulate neuronal circuits and brain function. My research has revealed that astrocytes in the thalamocortical circuit play a key role in regulating sleep-related memory consolidation. These findings have significant implications for neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration.
Tulane University
Shirine Moukaled
My research explores the complex relationships between multimorbidity, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and health disparities, leveraging data from the Bogalusa Heart Study and the Health and Aging Brain study (HABS-HD). Specifically, I am interested in how trajectories of multimorbidity over the life course, as well as the specific patterns of chronic conditions, impact ADRD biomarkers, pathology, and cognitive function. I am also interested in better understanding how comorbidities influence AD biomarkers, particularly plasma biomarkers.