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The SRF team is composed of mission-driven individuals who work tirelessly toward our goal of ending age-related disease. Our team size fluctuates during the year with the addition of SRF Educational Summer Scholars and Post–Baccalaureates, however our full-time employees are listed below.
Previously serving as SRF’s Executive Director, Lisa worked closely with the organization’s preceding CEOs for more than a decade, dedicating her expertise towards building all aspects of the organization. With an educational background in Life Sciences and industry experience in microbiology, stem cells, and flow cytometry, Lisa joined SRF in 2010 as a volunteer in the laboratory. She transitioned into organizational administration in early 2012, and with a strong focus on finance and operations advanced into greater roles that balanced the financial, research, educational, and outreach operations of the organization. A Bay Area transplant from the Midwest, she is fully dedicated to advancing rejuvenation biotechnologies and guiding SRF forward as a significant and leading-edge contributor in this rapidly growing field.
Stephanie Dainow serves as Chief Business Officer at SENS Research Foundation, as well as Executive Director and Board Director at Lifespan.io, a US-based non-profit focused on representing and promoting the entire longevity field through media and longevity content programming. Lifespan.io is renowned for its 10 year commitment to responsible journalism and advocacy efforts. Stephanie also shares her expertise as a Business Mentor at UC Davis’ Venture Catalyst and SOSV’s IndieBio, guiding deep tech startups in business development, fundraising, and executive leadership.
Stephanie has a non-traditional career path that includes strategic relations management at Singularity University with a focus on innovation and exponential technologies for Fortune 100 leadership. Her diverse professional journey spans global management consultancy for pharma and biotech clients, strategic business development at a big 4 media holding company, and celebrity and entertainment marketing.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Stephanie is deeply involved in volunteer work globally and previously served on the Advisory Board of a 501(c)(3) organization inspiring Harlem youth in STEM careers. Passionate about reshaping corporate landscapes, she champions emerging technologies and disruption, empowering leaders to envision innovative futures.
Maria is a radical-change believer and spends most of her multifaceted life working on facilitating disruptive change to the way we currently treat aging. You can find her giving a talk about the future of aging, singing live for thousands of people, composing and acting for a Hollywood film or flying an airplane. Her passion and strong involvement in science and technology, combined with her skills in Public Relations, positioned her as Director of Development in charge of building new relationships for SRF, spreading the word about its work and driving donations.
Lilli joins SRF following her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Davis. There, as a USDA NIFA Fellow, she investigated the activation of the embryonic genome in hopes to identify better embryos and eventually improve in vitro fertilization to more efficiently produce cattle for the beef and dairy industries, and improve development rates in clinical embryology settings. She completed her Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology at the University of Toledo. She led an international team of scientists to discover a second, atypical centriole in human and cattle sperm, which functions during fertilization and development.
Lilli founded the UT Careers in Science Committee, held executive roles in the UT Graduate Student Association, and participated in the Frontiers in Stem Cell and Cancer training program. These experiences have fueled her passion for building equitable representation in advanced training opportunities, in order to inspire and support the next generation of pioneers in the field of anti-aging. Lilli is thrilled to harness her passion with SRF’s forward-focused mission of mitigating and preventing damage caused by aging.
Kelly joined SRF in early 2018 after completing her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland in 2017. She recently moved from the Bay Area back to her hometown – Baltimore, Maryland. While in California, she volunteered at a Wig Bank for cancer patients. She currently volunteers as a Crisis Counselor with the Crisis Text Line, which she has been doing since 2017. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, cuddling her two cats, and baking (especially pies)!
Greg joined SRF in 2022 managing Human Resources functions for the organization. He brings a background of success in leading HR teams and operations across multiple industries including technology, healthcare, and financial services. Previously supporting multi-state and global organizations, he enjoys the opportunity to support a diverse workforce. In his free time, he can be found volunteering in his community, spending time with family and friends and traveling. Greg completed his MBA in Human Resources Management from the University of Evansville, Hampden and is an active SHRM member.
Dr Amutha Boominathan is the Group Lead for the MitoSENS program at SENS Research Foundation. She joined SRF in 2013 as a Senior Research Scientist and became the Group Lead for the program in 2016. She completed her graduate studies from the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India with a PhD in Biochemistry. Subsequently, through an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship, she obtained further training at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University where she studied mitochondrial biogenesis with a focus on protein import and the fusion and fission mechanisms in the organelle. She has over 20 years of experience in mitochondrial biology.
Dr. Amit Sharma was awarded a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Delhi University, India. He received his PhD in 2009 in Biotechnology from University of Pune for his work demonstrating microRNA regulation of cytokines invovled in allergic inflammation in mice models. Dr. Sharma’s postdoctoral research at the Buck Institute, Novato, California involved investigating novel molecular regulatory pathways in regards to genotoxic stress and cellular senescence in invertebrate and mammalian models.
Dr. Sharma has recently joined SENS Research Foundation as Group Lead in the Senescence Immunology Research Group. His research focus involves studying how aging and senescence affects the immune system and his research group will also investigate strategies to harness the immune system in mitigating deleterious effects of senescent cells with translational focus.
Katrina got her B.S. in biology from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She joined SRF at the start of 2022, after time spent working in quality control in the pharmaceutical industry. She is a Baltimore native, but recently moved to Harford, MD, just north of her hometown. She enjoys spending her free time with her fiancé and their cats and ferrets.
Jonathan received his B.S. in Bioengineering from Santa Clara University in 2023 with a focus on Biomolecular studies. During his senior year, he took on a senior design project validating a new drug delivery platform using extracellular vesicles as scavengers to remove protein aggregates in the brain. As a part of the MitoSENS team, he wishes to develop his skillset and learn more about the field of gene therapy and how it can be used to help people live healthier lives. Jonathan likes to spend his free time woodworking and tinkering with electronics.
Anna has completed her masters and Ph.D. in molecular biology at the Institute for Cancer Research in Oslo, Norway. This inspired her to pursue studies in the field of microenvironment and treatment resistance in cancer. With that goal, she joined UCSF as a postdoctoral fellow in 2019 to study mechanosignaling and matrix remodeling in aggressive brain tumors. This experience has led her to appreciate the potent role of systemic tissue changes that enable and promote cancer growth, aging – chief among them. Anna is excited to apply her knowledge from the cancer field to dissect and exploit molecular mechanisms of cellular senescence as a part of Apopto-SENS team at the SENS Research Foundation.
A graduate of Florida State University, Jessica comes to us from the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, CA. She has years of experience in nonprofits, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certification from eCornell. Her passion for social justice is matched by her desire to combat diseases that afflict the aging. Having witnessed the effects of Parkinson’s disease on a close family member, she is committed to teaming with SRF to fund and research regenerative medicine. Jessica hopes to see future generations avoid these degenerative diseases of the aging.
As an aspiring science communicator with a long-time interest in longevity, Nick started with SRF to help increase public awareness of the great future that these technologies can bring. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications and has experience in clinical, biotech, and sales positions. Prior to working for SRF, he led studies for a non-profit that examined the immune system in adults. He believes that biogerontology will one day be at the forefront of healthcare infrastructure with pathology and therapeutics to help better the lives of individuals by allowing them to circumvent age-related disease and reverse aging.
Anne Corwin is the Facilities Manager at SENS Research Foundation. She joined SRF full time in 2011, primarily to repair, maintain, and troubleshoot equipment as well as provide editorial, messaging, and graphics support. Her current responsibilities still include equipment maintenance, however, she now also manages building utilities, safety training and hazardous materials. Prior to joining SRF, Anne earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and then worked in the aerospace industry for several years as an EE. She lives with her partner and their cats in Santa Clara.
James Hale serves as the Accounts Manager at SENS Research Foundation. In this role, he spearheads initiatives to cultivate and strengthen strategic alliances with key stakeholders across the longevity biotechnology sector and beyond.
James graduated from the University of Florida, where he developed a profound interest in scientific research and data-driven methodologies aimed at extending healthspan and lifespan.
Throughout his career, James has demonstrated a passion for fostering collaboration and driving innovation to achieve transformative health solutions. His expertise in building impactful relationships and his strategic vision support the advancement of SENS Research Foundation’s mission.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, James is an avid enthusiast of all types of tea, functional foods, and music from around the world.
Esmeralda received her B.S. in Veterinary Science from the University of Arizona in 2018. She has a strong passion for animal care and has volunteered in various wildlife centers over the years. She joined SRF in 2022 to contribute to the research goal of finding viable treatments for age related diseases. She hopes to implement her knowledge and experience to provide optimal care for the lab animals at SRF. In her spare time, she enjoys learning about nature and going bike riding with her husband.
Kathlene Joyce (Kate) finished her Ph.D. in Genetics and Neuroscience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2022. During that time she collaborated with researchers both at UAB and at Southern Research, a research institute, to understand the mechanisms of transcription factors related to mitochondrial and neuronal programs in order to generate leads for neurodegenerative therapies. This involved RNA-seq, proximity-tagging and mass spec, and follow up on interactors in mouse models. Working at SRF is the next step in a career to find ways to improve people’s lives.
Elena obtained her PhD in microbiology from Institute of Microbiology, Uzbekistan. Her initial research interest was to study entomopathogenic bacteria Bac.thuringiensis and develop bio-insecticide technology. However, her scientific curiosity was far beyond that, and it brought her to the protein crystallography. She spent several years developing technologies of growing protein molecules in light and heavy waters for the experiments in both neutron diffractometers: Bio-C, HANARO, S.Korea and BIX-4, JAEA, Japan. She completed her postdoctoral trainings at KRIBB and KAERI, South Korea.
She was away from her parents and relatives for a long time, not noticing and not realizing how aging badly affects the health and quality of life of her loved ones. Therefore, when Elena got an opportunity to join the SENS Research Foundation, she was grateful to become a part of the team. She hopes people will live healthier lives avoiding age-related diseases.
Gabriel has a BSc in Biotechnology and is finishing an MSc in Molecular Precision Medicine. He has experience working in multidisciplinary international teams in industry and academia. In the past, Gabriel worked synthesizing breast cancer drugs and also testing interventions in glioblastoma. He then shifted to aging by studying the epitranscriptome of senescent cells. His main interests are age-related health decline, cell heterogeneity, and immune-based approaches to leverage the body’s cells to cure. In his free time, Gabriel enjoys working out and discovering new restaurants around the Bay Area.
Marek Pinto is a sophomore at Boston University studying Computer Science, Math, and Biomedical Engineering. He was a 2022 SRF Summer Scholar working in the MitoSENS lab, and is continuing to work in the lab as a Research Tech. His interests lie in bioinformatics and using computational methods to optimize the mRNA stability of allotopically expressed gene constructs.
Michael Rae is the author of seven scientific articles peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as four book chapters in academic volumes. He is a member of SRF’s Research Development Committee and performs internal scientific reviews and analyses, as well as elucidating the SENS platform for anti-aging biomedicine for a popular audience. He is a long-time member and one-time Board Member of the Calorie Restriction Society and its Vice President for Research from 2014.
Shortly after completing his undergraduate and graduate coursework, Leo earned the opportunity to continue his scientific career at SRF in 2023. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 2021 at the University of California, Riverside. There, he conducted research in an ecology laboratory studying the effects of effluent water flow on California’s endangered species. Leo decided to move back to the Bay area and earn his Master of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in physiology and behavioral biology at San Francisco State University. His thesis work focused on how high ambient daytime temperatures influence behavior and torpor in Anna’s hummingbirds.
He is eager to empower and positively influence the next generation of scientists here at SRF in the multi-faceted role as an Education Admissions and Recruitment Manager. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, working out, taking care of his dog, Charlie, and watching baseball and formula 1.
Apoorva received her M.S. in Biotechnology from San Jose State University in 2020. She has been working in the industry since with a major focus on age-related diseases and stem cell research. As part of RepleniSENS, she wants to better understand the mechanisms of aging and cellular senescence. She is excited to be part of SENS Research Foundation and is looking to apply her knowledge and skills to improve human health and lifespan. Apart from science, she loves movies, painting and cooking.
Sam is currently pursuing a B.A. in Networking and Digital Systems from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He previously worked during the Summer of 2019 as an IT Technician Intern and is pleased to be rejoining the SRF team as the in-office IT Technician. In his free time, Sam enjoys making pizza, hiking, and playing soccer and tennis.
Gary is a creative director with over two decades of experience in design, branding, interactive development, content creation, and video production. His professional passion is empowering disruptive technologies with creativity, and he’s been working with SRF since 2012. Gary received a BS in Finance from the University of Florida in 1993 and graduated from Miami Ad School’s Art Direction program in 1998. A licensed pilot, his primary interests include technology, aerospace, nature, futurism, and traveling the world with his wife Maria.
SRF is at the center of the rejuvenation biotechnology industry and supports the mission to end age-related disease through Research, Education, and Outreach. Make your career something you can believe in – something that can change the world.
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