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MANAGING DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER

Kavya Sharman is a 4th year PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University in the Chemical & Physical Biology Program. She received a BA in neuroscience from Vanderbilt University in 2016, where she co-founded the Scientific Immersion & Mentorship (SIM) Program. After graduating, she worked at Vanderbilt’s Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) as a business development coordinator, and then went on to work for MONQ, a startup in Nashville, as a product development scientist. She also worked as a freelance researcher for Seminal, where she created research briefs summarizing findings across broad topics such as artificial intelligence, labor markets, and the molecular basis of learning. She returned to Vanderbilt in 2018 and joined the lab of Dr. Richard Caprioli, where she is developing computational techniques for linking complementary imaging modalities such as imaging mass spectrometry and multiplexed immunofluorescence to understand Staphylococcus aureus infection in tissue. Through her varied experiences in industry, academia, healthcare, and informatics, she has focused on developing cross-disciplinary linkages with a focus on bridging the gap between scientific discovery and industry. In her free time, Kavya enjoys exploring the food scene in Nashville, traveling, and cooking. She is currently on a mission to find the best cappuccino in Nashville.

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, CO-FOUNDER

Cody Marshall is a 1st year biomedical science PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University. He received his BA in molecular cell biology with an emphasis in molecular neurobiology at University of California, Berkeley. He went on to gain his MS while helping discover a neural circuit associated with stress behavior under guidance from Dr. Danny Winder. To further develop his research experience, Cody worked at Stanford University where he learned computational and chemical methods of drug discovery with Dr. James Chen. Now as a PhD student, Cody is rotating through chemical and physical biology research labs at Vanderbilt that apply new technology to neuroscience drug discovery. Cody first developed a passion for investing and the business side of life science when he enrolled in “The Business of Biotechnology”, an interactive online course taught by Peter Kolchinsky, managing director at RA Capital. Cody also volunteers virtually as an analyst for Evexia, a similar student-led biotechnology fund consisting of biology graduate students located mainly throughout the Bay Area, CA. Outside of research, Cody enjoys exercising, reading, playing (but primarily still learning) the electric piano, and enjoying Nashville’s live music scene. His favorite summer vacations are traveling to new places with family and friends, and during the winter, you can usually count on him finding time to make ski trips.

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY, CO-FOUNDER

Pragun Tuladhar is a 4th year PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University. An international student from Nepal, he received his BS in Biochemistry from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2018. At Vanderbilt, Pragun is a member of the Cliffel research lab, where he is developing techniques to instrument microphysiological systems (organs- on-chips) with a multiplexed electrochemical detection platform to gain a broader understanding of cellular metabolic and ds physiological changes in response to toxins, infections, and therapeutics. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of his research, Pragun is familiar with concepts and techniques spanning several fields, including electrochemistry, cellular biology, immunology, neurology, toxicology, biomedical engineering, and material sciences. Outside the lab, Pragun enjoys learning about entrepreneurship and how scientific discoveries can be commercialized. At the BioTN Scipreneur Challenge Nashville held in spring 2021, his team pitched a commercialization plan for a novel nerve visualization technology and won 2nd place. He also volunteers as consultant in the Wond’ry Innovation Consulting Program at Vanderbilt. Pragun enjoys traveling, watching English football, cooking, and collecting trivia in his spare time. 

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

James White is a 5th year PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University in the department of Cell and Developmental Biology (CDB). He received a BS in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan in 2016. At Michigan, he studied under Dr. Catherine Keegan on a collaborative project investigating caudal misexpression of a pancreatic transcription factor in a mouse model of caudal dysgenesis. Matriculating to Vanderbilt in 2018, James sought out an interdisciplinary workspace through Dr. Andrea Page-McCaw, a cell biologist whose lab has an ongoing collaboration with Dr. M. Shane Hutson, a physicist. This co-mentorship allows James to explore the cellular behaviors that lead to wound closure from both a biological and biophysical perspective. James received invaluable leadership and negotiation experience as president of the CDB graduate student association. During his tenure, James created a successful pitch to triple the GSA budget and provide monthly lunches for graduate students and postdocs within CDB. James will expand his leadership and business skills by pursuing a career in business development with the long-term goal of starting a company. Outside of lab, James enjoys hosting dinner parties, hiking, training his rescue dog Preston, painting, and spending quality time with friends.

DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Shannon Taylor is a 3rd year biomedical engineering PhD student at Vanderbilt University. She received her BS in bioengineering with a focus on bioelectronics and minored in business at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Now at Vanderbilt, Shannon studies non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging techniques under the direction of Dr. Rachelle Crescenzi to investigate the interplay of tissue structure and lymphatic vascular function. Her interdisciplinary work incorporates image processing, physics, and translational physiology. She also serves as a General Body Member of the Vanderbilt Innovation Council. Shannon’s excitement for the role of science in the business landscape began during her undergraduate engineering capstone project while working with her team to conduct market research for their prototyped point-of-care device. Since then, she’s grown a passion for biotechnology startups and advocating for the translatable skills that graduate-level researchers can add to analytical teams in industry. Outside of research, Shannon enjoys traversing Nashville’s many coffee shops, doing the New York Times crossword, and playing tennis.

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Hayden Pagendarm is a 3rd year PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. He received his BS in Bioengineering with a biomaterials concentration as well as a minor in Economics from Clemson University in 2020. While at Clemson, he completed his Departmental Honors thesis under the guidance of Dr. Jeoung Soo Lee by helping develop a targeted drug delivery platform to reduce inflammation following spinal cord injury. He then joined the lab of Dr. John Wilson at Vanderbilt, where he is working on multiple projects aimed at modulating the immune system to achieve a therapeutic outcome. He is developing a scalable formulation pipeline to produce polymeric nanoparticles capable of delivering innate immune agonists to the cytosol, where they can activate their respective receptors and reinvigorate exhausted T cells to fight cancer. He is also developing an extracellular vesicle-based platform to co-deliver autoantigens and immunosuppressive cues to reprogram antigen-presenting cells to present autoantigens in a non-inflammatory context, subsequently inducing peripheral tolerance among autoreactive T and B lymphocytes. Outside of the lab, Hayden enjoys following the markets, trying new foods, traveling, cooking, exercising, and watching a variety of sports. He also enjoys volunteering at various local public schools by teaching STEM classes.