Jim started at Circle Pharma in 2020 and is our Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry. He has over 20 years of experience in medicinal chemistry. Previously, he served as the Senior Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Revolution Medicines. He also held various positions at Oligasis, Achaogen, Chemocentryx, Gilead Sciences and Theravance, and was an Associate Professor of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry at Northeastern University. Jim has led teams engaged in targeted drug discovery against multiple antibacterial and oncology targets, and his contributions include being an inventor of the aminoglycoside antibiotic Plazomicin, now marketed as Zemdri. Jim was awarded a Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, where he studied under Prof. Richard Chamberlin.

Marites joined Circle Pharma in 2024 and is a Sr. Research Associate II on our Purification team. Previously, Marites led the Bioanalytics team at Amyris, optimizing LC/MS protocols for proteins and small molecules. She was also a Senior Technologist at Sandia National Laboratories. Marites earned her B.A. in Molecular Cell Biology with an emphasis on Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

Miguel joined Circle in 2017 and is a Scientist on our Chemistry team where he specializes in the development and production of complex macrocyclic compounds. Prior to his current role, Miguel worked as a Peptide Chemist at CS Bio and Bachem Americas. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, where he focused on peptide-based computational drug design.

Linda joined Circle Pharma in 2022 and is our Head of People and Executive Director. In her role, Linda is responsible for managing Human Resources, including HR business partnering, compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, HR systems and operations, and employee engagement. Prior to Circle, Linda held roles with Denali Therapeutics, Vifor Pharma, Cantel Medical and roles of increasing responsibility with a host of other organizations. She is a graduate of Hamline University where she earned a degree in Communication Studies and Women’s Studies, and holds a graduate certificate from St. Catherine’s University in Organizational Leadership. Linda has also served as a spokesperson for the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) certification program and the SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge.

Chinmay joined Circle Pharma in 2022 and is a Senior Research Associate in Circle’s Chemistry department, where he assists in the development and discovery of novel peptide macrocycles for therapeutic use. Previously, Chinmay worked as a Chemist at Capacitor Sciences and Volochem, where he engaged in multiple target-oriented syntheses for both external clients and internal IP development. Chinmay received his B.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from University of California, Davis and a M.S. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College.

Andrew joined Circle in 2017 and is an Associate Director, Chemistry. He brings over a decade of experience in the field of passively-permeable peptidic macrocycles to his role. Prior to joining Circle Pharma, Andrew worked in the lab of Prof. Scott Lokey, a Co-Founder of Circle, where he synthesized natural product-like cyclic peptides and identified drivers of structure-permeable relationships in diverse peptidic scaffolds. He also taught undergraduate courses in Organic Chemistry as a Postdoc for Prof. Adam Urbach at Trinity University. Andrew holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Skidmore College and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Luzviminda joined Circle in 2022 and is a Laboratory Technician. She has extensive industry experience, having worked at Merck, Genentech, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Genemed Biotechnologies. She has worked in various capacities, including Lab Technician Manufacturing Inspector, and Quality Control.

Joe joined Circle in 2024 and is our VP, Clinical Technical Operations. Prior to joining Circle, he spent 23 years of his career in various positions of increasing responsibility in the Manufacturing and Quality space at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals. Additionally, Joe has held leadership roles at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals and Coherus Biosciences. Joe holds a B.S. in Biology from Salem State University and an M.B.A. from Colorado State University.

Clovis joined Circle Pharma in 2024 as our Head of IT and Executive Director. Clovis is responsible for managing Circle’s overall Information Technology strategy, overseeing infrastructure and networking, information security, computerized systems validation, and the entire lifecycle of hardware, software, and applications, as well as vendor management. With over 20 years of IT experience, he has advanced his career at Amgen, ChemoCentryx, BMS, MyoKardia and Portola Pharmaceuticals. Clovis holds a B.S. in Management of Information Systems from Suffolk University.

Carlos joined Circle Pharma in 2023 and is our Senior Director of Research Operations, providing leadership for teams that manage Facilities and Lab Operations, Purification and Analytical Chemistry, Compound Management, Research Systems, and Environmental, Health, and Safety (EH&S). Previously, Carlos headed U.S. Laboratory Operations at Amador Bioscience. He also led laboratory compliance and operations for US GxP testing laboratories for AstraZeneca. Earlier experiences include roles as a Bioanalytical PI for GLP and clinical programs supporting the development and FDA approval of Imfinzi (anti-PD-L1) and Lumoxiti (anti-CD22 immunotoxin). Carlos has a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Davis.

Eric joined Circle Pharma in 2023 and is our Senior Director, CMC. Previously, he held the role of Senior Director, CMC at Boundless Bio, where he spearheaded CMC development for two programs. He also held roles at Arcus Biosciences and MyoKardia respectively. Additionally, he led Relypsa’s Chemistry team from research to NDA acceptance for Veltassa® (NDA filed in 2014, approved in 2016). Eric earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from University College Dublin, Ireland and completed a chemistry Postdoctoral Fellowship at Caltech in Pasadena, California. In 2016, Eric earned a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute.

Michael joined Circle as our Senior Vice President, Head of Early Development. During his career, he has led adult and pediatric clinical development, product launches, and life cycle management of numerous transformative oncology products. Michael has co-authored papers published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and other prestigious medical journals. Michael has held senior Clinical and Medical Affairs roles of increasing responsibility in the U.S. and Europe at Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Loxo Oncology, Inc. (acquired by Eli Lilly and Company), Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Merck KGaA, and Amgen Inc. Michael holds a PharmD from Ohio Northern University’s Raabe College of Pharmacy and an MHSc in Clinical Research from Duke University’s School of Medicine. He is a Board-Certified Oncology Pharmacist and completed post-graduate training at Mission Hospitals, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the National Cancer Institute.

Peadar joined Circle Pharma in 2022 and is our Executive Director, Head of DMPK, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology. Previously, Peadar worked at Cytokinetics where he led the DMPK effort that led to the discovery of Aficamten, a novel, best-in-class Cardiac Myosin Inhibitor. Other notable achievements include his role at Xenoport where he was part of the ADME/transporter effort which led to the discovery and commercialization of Horizant, a novel prodrug of Gabapentin. Peadar received his is B.S. from University College Cork, Ireland and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at University College Dublin. He completed a post-doc in Bioanalysis under the direction of Prof. A. Waterhouse at University of California, Davis.

Megan joined Circle in 2021 and is a Senior Research Associate on Circle’s Formulation and Pharmaceutics team. She previously worked under Dr. Bryan Knuckley at the University of North Florida, synthesizing and characterizing inhibitors for the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family of proteins. Megan held internship positions at both Bacardi and ADPEN laboratories. She also held positions as a Supplemental Instructor (SI) and a peer chemistry tutor. Megan earned her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Florida.

David joined Circle in 2023 and is our Senior Manager of Procurement, where he is responsible for managing and optimizing procurement operations, ensuring the scalability of processes to support continued growth. Previously, David managed the supply chain at Lonza, improving quality, security of supply, and pricing. David also served in Procurement and Supply Chain roles at Alector and AbbVie. David received his B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from San Francisco State University.

Nathan joined Circle in 2021 and is a Scientist II on our Medicinal Chemistry team. Before joining Circle, he worked as a Synthetic Chemist at AIM Biosciences. Nathan received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, studying Synthetic Organic Chemistry Method Development. After completing his graduate studies, he worked as a Postdoc at the University of Southern California where he helped develop novel antifungal agents by targeting the bromodomain containing protein Bdf1.

Marie joined Circle in 2024 as our Senior Vice President and Head of Cancer Biology. Previously, she held the position of Vice President of Oncology at Recursion, leading the Oncology group and advancing their internal pipeline while establishing key partnerships with Genentech/Roche and Bayer. Before that, she spent 18 years at Genentech, directing precision oncology programs focused on cell cycle, tumor metabolism, and targeted therapy resistance. She played a crucial role in developing GDC-6036 (Divarasib), now in Phase 3 trials. Marie earned her Ph.D. from Queen’s University in Canada, receiving the NSERC Doctoral Prize and the Governor General’s Gold Medal. She completed postdoctoral training at Genentech with Fred de Sauvage. Marie has published over 40 papers in top journals, including Science, Cell, and Nature Biotechnology, and holds a dozen patents.

Jinshu joined Circle Pharma in 2022 and is a Senior Scientist, DMPK and Clincal Pharmacology. Before joining Circle Pharma, Jinshu was a Senior Research Associate at Cytokinetics, Inc, focusing on preclinical DMPK. Before Cytokinetics, she worked as a Research Scientist and Team Lead at BRI Biopharmaceutical Research, Vancouver. Jinshu earned her M.S. at the University of California, San Diego where she studied secondary metabolites from Cystic Fibrosis related pathogens using high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Gabriel joined Circle in 2021 and is a Scientist II within our Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis (SPPS) Chemistry team. Before joining Circle Pharma, he conducted medicinal chemistry research at SRI International, Biostride Inc., and Genentech, Inc. Gabriel received his B.S. in Chemistry from University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. from University of California, Davis, where he pioneered the on-resin library synthesis of Actinomycin D analogs bearing 1,4-triazoles.

Pablo joined Circle Pharma in 2015 and is our Vice President of Biology Research, bringing more than 25 years of experience in oncology drug discovery and preclinical development to the role. Prior to joining Circle, Pablo worked at Chiron Corporation and the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Emeryville, where he made significant contributions to the areas of target identification and validation, implementation of diverse discovery platforms and the management of a cancer biology discovery group. He also led several drug discovery projects, including the PIM kinase inhibitor project at Chiron/Novartis. Pablo has a B.A. in Biology and a Master’s in Genetics from Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Edward joined Circle Pharma in 2023 and is our consulting Chief Medical Officer. Edward has served in multiple Chief Medical Officer roles including at Cerulean Pharma where he participated in the company’s IPO and oversaw initiation of multi-national clinical trials for three drug programs. Prior to industry, he served as a Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He is an alumnus of Harvard and New York Universities and completed his medical training at New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and MSKCC. Edward completed additional research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health and the Botswana-Harvard Partnership for H.I.V. Research in Gaborone, Botswana and he is the recipient of the young investigators awards from the American Society of Hematology and the American Heart Association.

Catherine joined Circle in 2018 and is Associate Director, Biology. Catherine currently leads the preclinical discovery efforts within our Biology team. Before joining Circle Pharma, she was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of California San Francisco, investigating the mTOR signaling pathway in regulation of renal metabolism and ion transport. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Washington and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Prof. Morris Birnbaum. She trained as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Prof. Philip Cohen at the Medical Research Council’s Protein Phosphorylation Unit at the University of Dundee, UK.

Nathan joined Circle in 2022 and is a Principal Scientist, Molecular and Cellular Biology on Circle’s Cell Biology team where he focuses on early target validation and assay development. Previously, Nathan worked at Unity Biotechnology where he focused on new target ID and development to selectively kill senescent cells in diseases of aging. Nathan received his B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Willamette University. Nathan went on to earn his Ph.D. at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Chemistry and Chemical Biology program under Jack Taunton. Nathan continued at UCSF as a Postdoc, exploring kinases as drug targets in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei.

Frances joined Circle Pharma in 2019 and is a Senior Research Associate on the Cell Biology team. Frances contributes to preclinical drug discovery efforts, including cellular screening assays. Frances received their B.S. in Chemistry from University of California, Santa Cruz where they previously worked in Prof. Phil Crews’ group as an undergraduate researcher.

Daphne joined Circle in 2021 and is a Senior Research Associate on our Biochemistry team, where she assists in running in vitro biochemical screening assays for our cyclin programs. Before joining Circle Pharma, Daphne worked at Pfizer assisting with compound management and later moving to biochemistry and primary screening. Daphne received her B.S. in Biochemistry/Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego.

Luis joined Circle in 2017. As Manager of Research Systems, he develops technical solutions to support Circle’s scientific activities across the organization. He also serves as our EH&S Officer, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations while leading initiatives to promote workplace well-being and accident prevention. Luis also brings his experience from previous roles at Ingredion, Inc. and Formulation Technology, Inc. Luis holds a B.S. in Chemical Biology from University of California, Berkeley.

Ming-Hsun joined Circle Pharma in 2022 and is a Principal Scientist in our Computational Chemistry group, bringing over ten years of experience in computational drug discovery in pharmaceuticals to his role. Previously, he was a Computational Chemist at GSK, supporting multiple drug discovery programs. While at GSK, Ming-Hsun built machine-learning models to predict and mitigate hepatotoxicity liability. He also worked for Shanghai Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, where he applied SBDD, including enhanced sampling MD, to study the ligand/protein interaction on oncology and hypertension targets. Ming-Hsun received his Ph.D. in Chemistry at University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Prof. Michael Klein. Ming-Hsun was also a Postdoctoral researcher at Pacific Northwest National Lab where he worked on theoretical analysis of reaction mechanisms to improve the efficiency of bio-inspired metallocatalyst.

Dalena joined Circle Pharma in 2022 and is a Senior Research Associate within our Purification team, handling downstream processes of compounds after synthesis completion, including purification, transfer and final quality checks. Previously, Dalena worked at Eurofins TestAmerica, where she held several positions such as Lead and Supervisor of the Preparation and Extractions department and assisted in various method development projects. Dalena received her B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Biology from University of California, Davis.

Eran has been with Circle Pharma since 2021 and is our Senior Manager of Accounting. Prior to Circle, Eran spent 10 years with a number of private industry and public companies, including serving as Accounting Manager at CytomX Therapeutics. Eran started his career in public accounting with KPMG LLP in New York and obtained his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification. Eran also spent three years serving in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Eran obtained his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, as well as his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Lisa joined Circle Pharma in 2024 and is our Senior Medical Director of Early Clinical Development, where she provides expertise in the design, execution and interpretation of our clinical trials. Lisa is a Board-Certified Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist and practices part-time at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She holds a Doctorate of Osteopathy from Michigan State University and a Master of Public Health with a specialization in Epidemiology from The University of Arizona. Lisa completed her Pediatric Residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan/Wayne State University, and her Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Constantine joined Circle in 2021 and is our Senior Vice President and Head of Discovery Technology Sciences where he is responsible for ensuring the continued growth of the MXMO platform, as well as Circle’s technology and IT stack. Previously, Constantine was the Head of U.S. Molecular Design and the Interim Head of Computational Toxicology at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and was a Research Fellow at Merck & Co., Inc. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Chemistry from New York University, a Master’s Degree in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Princeton University. While a Postdoctoral Fellow at Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Constantine focused on machine learning in predictive toxicology.

Bryan joined Circle Pharma in 2018 and is our Manager of Facilities and Lab Operations. He oversees the management of instrument service contracts, coordinates workspace remodels, moves, repairs, and lab space planning, and also handles shipping and receiving operations. Bryan holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo and pursued post-graduate studies in Biological Chemistry at Ohio State University under the direction of Prof. Jen Ottesen.

Siegfried joined Circle Pharma in 2014 and is a Principal Scientist in our Computational Chemistry group. He brings close to two decades of experience in macrocycle design and modeling and joined Circle after undertaking Postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Circle Co-Founder Matt Jacobson at University of California San Francisco. Siegfried was was also a key member of the Pfizer/Jacobson laboratory collaboration in which he investigated the design principles of permeable cyclic peptides and developed computational protocols for macrocycle design. Siegfried received his B.S. in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry from University of San Francisco and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University.

Bernard joined Circle in 2021 and is our Director of Pharmacology. Bernard has over 18 years of experience in research and drug development. Prior to Circle, Bernard led pharmacology efforts for multiple CAR-T cell therapy programs targeting both solid tumors and hematological malignancies at Kite Pharma, a Gilead company. Bernard also held roles at the UCLA AIDS Institute under the mentorship of Prof. Scott Kitchen, and at Cellerant Therapeutics. Bernard received his B.S. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Eleonor joined Circle in 2020 and is our Senior Executive Assistant, responsible for managing administrative support within Circle. Eleonor brings over 20 years of experience providing high-level administrative support and facilitating effective operations. Before joining Circle, Eleonor worked as an Executive Business Partner at Credit Karma, where she supported executives and directors in Tax, Savings, and Product Design. Throughout her career, Eleonor has worked in various capacities within semiconductor, biotech, and fintech startups.

Li-Fen joined Circle in 2021 and is a Principal Scientist focused on Bioinformatics and Biomarker Discovery. Previously, Li-Fen held a position as a Senior Data Analytics Manager on the Translational Medicine team at Exelixis. She also served as a Senior Scientific Researcher at OBD/Genentech. Li-Fen received her B.S. in Clinical Nutrition from Chun-Shan Medical School in Taiwan and earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Human Nutrition from Ohio State University. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Endocrinology division of the School of Medicine at Stanford University, Li-Fen investigated the role of adapt immunity in insulin resistance and inflammation in humans.

Harry joined Circle in 2023 and is the Director, Financial Planning and Analysis where he leads our FP&A function. Prior to Circle, Harry was at Astellas Gene Therapies where he was the Associate Director of FP&A for Research and Capital Finance. He was an FP&A consultant at RGP, and held various roles at Genentech/Roche where he provided FP&A, accounting, business intelligence and analytics leadership. Harry received his B.S. in Pharmacy from The Ohio State University and his his M.B.A. degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Joshua joined Circle in 2021 and is a Senior Research Associate on our Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis Chemistry team. He previously worked at CS Bio, synthesizing peptides for the R&D department and then later designing and building peptide synthesizers in the Instrumentation department. Joshua earned his B.S. in Bioengineering from Santa Clara University.

Stacey joined Circle in 2022 and is our HR Operations Specialist, ensuring that HR processes and systems are streamlined and operate smoothly and effectively. She previously held positions as an Admin and HR professional at Swords to Plowshares and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Stacey graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in Sociology.

Maria joined Circle in 2021 and is our Senior Compound Management Administrator where she is responsible for registration, storage, retrieval, and internal/external distribution of all our macrocyclic peptides. Maria previously worked as a Lab Technician at Merck. Prior to finding her true calling working within the biotech industry, Maria was an Administrative Assistant at a local church. Maria is currently pursuing her B.S. in Biochemistry through Arizona State University.

Nik joined Circle Pharma in 2022. He is a Senior Research Associate on our Biology team where he works on in-house assays to enhance our discovery biology pipeline while also increasing our throughput for compound screening in cell-based systems. Nik previously worked at The Gladstone Institutes while completing his undergraduate studies. Nik earned his Bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from San Francisco State University, followed by a Master’s degree in the same field from SFSU in collaboration with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).

Sammy joined Circle in 2022 and is a Senior Director, Medicinal Chemistry. Before joining our team, Sammy was a Senior Research Scientist II at Gilead Sciences in Foster City for over 18 years. He has worked mostly in anti-viral projects including HIV, HCV and HBV and multiple oncology targets including BET domain and PD-1/PD-L1 small molecules. Sammy holds a Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. He was also a Postdoctoral Fellow at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO where he worked with Professor Robert M Williams.

Meisam joined Circle Pharma in 2020 and is a Scientist II, Biochemistry, where he works with biochemical assay development, compound screening, and CRO work for structural biology and protein production. In his academic journey, Meisam worked on several projects including organic synthesis of heterocycles, protein engineering to generate novel proteins with novel functions and studying bacterial antibiotic resistance via ribosome methylation. He holds a B.S. and M.S. from University of Tehran in Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, respectively, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biophysics from Michigan State University. His Postdoc at Emory University was on bacterial aminoglycoside resistance through ribosome methylation under the supervision of Prof. Graeme L. Conn.

Ranya joined Circle in 2021 and is a Senior Research Associate on our Biology team where she contributes to preclinical drug discovery efforts. She previously interned with the Protein Sciences team at Abbvie. Ranya received her B.S. in Bioengineering from Stanford. During her studies, Ranya worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Cochran Lab, generating decoy receptors that inhibit over-expressed cytokines in lung cancer.

Juan joined Circle in 2022 and is a Research Associate II on our Solid-Phase Peptide Chemistry team. Juan brings over five years of automated SPPS experience to his role. He previously held roles at CS Bio and AccuVein. Juan holds a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from San Jose State University.

Paul joined Circle Pharma in 2022 and is our Chief Business Officer. Previously, Paul led both Business Development and Alliance Management at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, held Strategy, Corporate Development and International Licensing roles at Amgen, and spent 12 years as the Executive Director of the grantmaking foundation, First Fruit. Throughout his life sciences career, Paul has built and executed innovative strategies and highly accretive deals, as shown by the Ionis-AstraZeneca co-commercialization deal, Amgen’s acquisitions of Immunex and Tularik, and real-world evidence partnerships between Aetion and IBM, Optum, and McKesson. Paul earned his A.B. in Health & Society from Brown University and his M.B.A. in Healthcare Management from Wharton School of Business.

Denise joined Circle Pharma in 2024 as a Senior Director and Head of Clinical Data Management. Denise’s expertise includes executing study data management activities, developing company SOPs and processes, and effectively managing sponsor-led initiatives to vendor oversight. Prior to Circle, Denise held leadership roles at several organizations, including Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Nektar Therapeutics, Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Amgen. Denise holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of North Texas in Denton.

Roberta joined Circle in 2022 and is a Scientist II on our Biology team, where she designs experiments to support the screening funnel and investigate the mechanisms of action for new compounds. Roberta earned her B.S. and M.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Padua, Italy, before moving to Imperial College London, U.K., to pursue her Ph.D. in Clinical Oncology under Prof. Eric Aboagye. Prior to joining Circle, she completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Prof. Tim Stearns’ lab in the Biology Department at Stanford University, focusing on centrosome biology. She then became an Instructor in Prof. Vittorio Sebastiano’s lab in Stanford’s OB/GYN Department, where she worked on differentiating stem cells into germ cells.

Justin joined Circle in 2021 and is a Scientist II on our Chemistry team. Justin began his research career synthesizing cannabinoid derivatives under Prof. Mark L. Trudell, after which he worked under Prof. Loretta Jackson Hayes engineering Protein Kinase C mutants of the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Additionally, Justin worked as a NIH NRSA Fellow on the diverted total synthesis of highly functionalized peptide natural products under Prof. William M. Wuest. Justin graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from Rhodes College and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis.

Benedict joined Circle in 2023 and is a Research Associate II on our Biology team where he is responsible for running cellular assays to support macrocycle development for Circle’s programs. He previously worked in the Reiter Lab at the University of California, San Francisco Mission Bay Campus as a Research Associate and Lab Manager where he supported projects to further the understanding of ciliated cells using a variety of cell and molecular biological techniques. Benedict received his B.S. in Biology from The University of Melbourne in Australia.

Ben joined Circle in 2024 and is a Director, Clinical Scientist. Ben is responsible for the design, reporting, and analysis of clinical studies, as well as providing strategic input for future clinical development. He previously worked at Day One Bio, where he made substantial contributions to a pivotal global Phase 3 study in pediatric neuro-oncology. Ben started his career in the biopharmaceutical industry as a Clinical Scientist Fellow at Allergan (now AbbVie), where he contributed to various late-phase neurology and psychiatric development programs. Ben holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and earned his Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina, Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

June joined Circle in 2024 and is our Senior Manager of Sample Management. For 20 years prior, she held various roles in the biotech industry, including five years in clinical quality assurance, one year as a global product manager and over six years managing clinical trial biospecimens. June has expertise in oncology biomarker development, end-to-end clinical operations, and vendor management. June holds a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Paul joined Circle in 2022 and is a Facilities Technician. He brings over 30 years of warehouse operations and material handling experience to his role. He currently oversees the shipping, receiving, and inventory control of all laboratory consumables and chemical solvents, as well as capital equipment. Paul has held roles in the Pharmacy, Retail, Printing and Biotech industries throughout his career.

Breena joined Circle in 2018 and currently serves as a Scientist II on our Chemistry team where she focuses on advanced chemical synthesis and design. Previously, she worked in medicinal chemistry at Theravance Biopharma. Breena also worked at E.I. Dupont de Nemours in the Crop Protection division where she was a co-inventor on several patent applications for bicyclic azoles and helped move a product towards market. Breena earned a B.S. in Molecular Synthesis at the University of California, San Diego and a M.S. in Chemisty at the University of Pennsylvania under Prof. Madeleine Joullie.

Nu joined Circle in 2024 and is a Senior Scientist II leading the Purification team where she collaborates with stakeholders to ensure that drug candidates meet required purity and yield standards. Previously, she was an Analytical Chemist at Amyris and Zymergen where she supported multiple molecule engineering programs in yeast and E.coli. Nu received her Ph.D. at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities under the mentorship of Prof. John Ward and Prof. Paul Boswell. Nu was also a Postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab where she worked on building an automated high-throughput metabolomics analysis pipeline in yeast.

Eric joined Circle in 2023 and is a Research Associate II on our Chemistry team. Prior to Circle Pharma, he worked at the University of California, San Francisco Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in their drug discovery program for prion-related diseases. Eric also held roles in DMPK using LC-MS/MS to understand the pharmacokinetics and ADME properties of small molecules at AbbVie and Charles River Laboratories, respectively. Eric earned his B.S. in Chemistry and Latin from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Steven joined Circle in 2022 and is our Senior Scientist and Pharmaceutics Manager where he oversees the Pharmaceutical Science and Formulations function. Prior to Circle, Steven spent over seven years developing and supporting pre-clinical PK/efficacy formulations for all oncology discovery programs at Abbvie/Legacy Pharmacyclics. Steven contributed heavily to the formulation and tech transfer of pediatric oral Imbruvica. Steven holds a B.S. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kai joined Circle in 2022 and is a Senior Research Associate on our Chemistry team, where he designs and synthesizes novel macrocyclic peptides. Previously, Kai worked at Chempacific Corporation and developed and drafted clear synthetic strategies for complex molecules using state-of-the-art methodologies. Kai obtained his B.S. in Pharmacy at Nankai University. He achieved a M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry at Rutgers University, focusing on the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of small-molecule uric acid and dihydroxyadenine inhibitors for the treatment of nephrolithiasis.

Sandrine joined Circle in 2023 and is our Associate Director of Contract Management. Sandrine is responsible for managing all aspects of contract negotiations, including drafting, neogitation and finalization. Prior to Circle Pharma, Sandrine worked as a Paralegal at Geron and Avellino. She holds a J.D. from the University of Douala, an LL.M. in Negotiation & Dispute Resolution from Washington University in St. Louis, and an LL.M. in U.S. Legal Practice from Golden Gate University.