I am the CEO and co-founder of Sóliome that is making new, bio-safe sunscreens out of proteins. I currently live in San Francisco where we have joined the Indie Bio accelerator program to develop the chemistry of our new sunscreens and find partners to bring them to market.

I started Sóliome last year while finishing my post-doc at Princeton University. I was fortunate to have worked in the lab of Prof. John T. Groves. Together we characterized the mechanism of a phase III inhibitor of a critical immune-regulating enzyme that is of great interest in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Prof. Groves’ lab was a fantastic opportunity to make interesting biochemical discoveries that also help to improve health and the environment.

I received my Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Arizona in 2016 where I met my co-founder, Dr. Anthony Young. We joined the lab of Prof. Vahe Bandarian the same year and are excited to be back together after our post-docs where we are using our background in biochemistry to solve important problems in replacing current xenobiotic compounds in sunscreens with protein-based alternatives.

I grew up in Western Colorado where I also went to college at Colorado Mesa University. I was spoiled by all the great hiking and skiing just a short drive away. It is great to be working on products I can use at those sunny elevations and am grateful for the opportunity to share our progress with you at this showcase.