PhD Career Stories: Consulting
The ASPIRE program will be hosting a panel from Latham Biopharm group!
Dilek Dervishogullari, Ph.D., Associate Consultant
Laura Powell, Ph.D., Senior Associate Consultant
Deborah Roby, Ph.D., Associate Consultant
Dilek Dervishogullari, Ph.D.
Dr. Dervishogullari completed her training in bioelectrochemistry under the mentorship of Dr. David Cliffel, whose research focuses on electrochemical sensor development for organ-on-a-chip systems and utilizing photoactive plant proteins in solar energy conversion. Dr. Dervishogullari also served as an intern at Vanderbilt University’s technology transfer and commercialization office. She worked alongside licensing officers and principal investigators to determine the patentability of new pharmaceutical and medical device technologies and assisted in marketing initiatives. Throughout her academic career, Dr. Dervishogullari has authored several peer-reviewed scientific journal publications and awarded grant proposals, as well as presenting her work at various national and international conferences. She has extensive experience in communicating science into formats that appeal to both scientific and lay audiences.
As an Associate Consultant at Latham BioPharm Group, Dr. Dervishogullari provides programmatic support for government and commercial pharmaceutical product development projects, including contractual reporting through high-quality deliverables. This includes program management of manufacturing, nonclinical, clinical and regulatory activities to support IND and NDA submissions. Dr. Dervishogullari also assists in market research projects to identify key business insights along with technical reviews of new life science products.
Dr. Dervishogullari received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University and her B.S. in Chemistry from Grinnell College.
Education
B.S., Chemistry, Grinnell College
Ph.D., Chemistry, Vanderbilt University
Dr. Laura Powell, Ph.D.
Dr. Laura Powell is a Senior Associate Consultant at Latham BioPharm Group. She leverages her technical expertise and project management skills to assist with the successful planning and delivery of government and commercial programs, and has supported a wide variety of clients in both the industry and nonprofit sectors. Dr. Powell completed her graduate training in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, & Immunology at Vanderbilt University in 2020, under the mentorship of Dr. James Crowe. Her work focused on characterizing the human antibody response, including broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, to arthritogenic alphaviruses with the goal of uncovering protective epitopes and advancing potential therapeutic candidates. Dr. Powell has expertise in managing collaborative projects and has presented her work at national and international conferences, including Keystone symposia. She is knowledgeable in a wide variety of in vitro assays and techniques. In addition to her bench experience, Dr. Powell has worked as a freelance editor, and has experience writing and editing for both scientific and lay audiences.
Dr. Powell received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt University, and her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware. Her work is published in several peer-reviewed journals. She also received her Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification in August 2022.
Dr. Deborah Roby, Ph.D.
Dr. Roby is a physiologist by training, with 10 years in the life sciences. She has 8 years of experience in Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes research under the mentorship of Dr. David Wasserman, Dr. Susan Farr, and Dr. Thomas Burris. She also has 2 years of experience in plant science research design from her time at Monsanto. Her expertise in live animal disease modeling extends from progressive disease development models, diet-induced obesity models, and conditional knock-out models. She has experience in intricate techniques including hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamping in live, conscious mouse and is adept at behavior model development, multiple forms of tissue and live animal imaging, and a wide array of laboratory assays. Dr. Roby has managed multiple collaborative projects during her research years, the success of which is owed to her communication abilities and understanding of time courses in the research world. She is an excellent communicator and has presented her research at the American Diabetes Association, Society for Neuroscience, and UC Irvine Neurobiology of Learning and Memory conferences. Dr. Roby interned at the Vanderbilt University Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization where she worked with a multi-talented team to develop a new pest control product and worked closely with corporate alliance managers to promote various technologies from Vanderbilt researchers. She worked as a freelance scientific editor and has experience communicating scientific topics for a broad audience through her work with Vanderbilt University’s intercollegiate periodical Vestigo and Basic Sciences Newsletter.
Dr. Roby is an Associate Consultant at Latham BioPharm Group where she provides program support and management for government and commercial programs, assists in technical review of new life science products, and oversees tracking of project-specific budgets.
Dr. Roby received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Physiology from Saint Louis University and her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Truman State University. Her work is published in peer-reviewed journals.