Product Development and Management: Shepherding Products through the Life Cycle
Monday, February 12th, 2024, 5:30 – 6:30 PM CST (Virtual)
Product development and management professionals are intimately involved in the technical development and optimization of products that are either in the commercialization pipeline or further along the product life cycle. These careers may include hands-on research or tool optimization and always require intimate knowledge of the product and its history. Product development and management roles can be found throughout the industry, in the newest start-ups and in long-established industry giants. Join our panelists to learn about what drew them to the field, the competencies that are required to be successful in these types of careers, and their advice for how to use your scientific training to support your entry into this career path.
Elia Bove, Ph.D.
Product Manager, Cytiva
Dr. Bove is a protein biochemist with a keen interest and passion for the kind of technology that makes life easier. Born and raised in Italy, after obtaining a Ph.D., Dr. Bove relocated to the US to join UChicago as a PostDoc. From day one of his training, he purified proteins, became an ÄKTA™ user, and eventually, ended up joining Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare LifeSciences) in several different roles, ranging from support to sales. Currently, Dr. Bove is a member of the product management team for UNICORN™, as he has shifted his focus from hardware to
software.
Jesse Davis, Ph.D.
Program Development Rotational Manager, Hexcel
Jesse Davis, PhD, is currently a Senior Product Development Chemist at Henkel Corporation in their mobility and electronics division for adhesive research. He received his BS in Chemistry in 2010 from Georgia Southwestern State University. He then completed his PhD in Polymer Science at The University of Tennessee in 2015. Here his research focused on investigating how binary mixtures of architecturally complex, surfactant-like block copolymers can be used to generate new self-assembled constructs and assessing the stability and kinetics of those systems in solution and at surfaces. His current industrial research focuses on the development of adhesive technologies to fill unmet gaps in the electronics and manufacturing industries. Jesse is also currently an active member of the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry Industrial Advisory Board (POLY IAB).
Joseph Mastron, Ph.D.
Application Scientist and Product Manager, TOPTICA Photonics
Meet Dr. Joseph Mastron, laser enthusiast since forever, and practitioner since 2010. He earned his Ph.D. in 2019 at the University of Chicago, demonstrating two-photon-excited and time-domain Fourier transform fluorescence-encoded infrared spectroscopy. Outside of the lab, Joseph volunteered service as Chair of Marketing Operations for the Graduate Council.
In his postdoc at the University of Michigan, Joseph worked further with laser spectroscopy, with multidimensional pump-probe techniques, orchestrating 2D measurements across UV, visible, and IR wavelengths. His research extended to exploring inorganic catalysts, vibrational polaritons, and the mysteries of energy pathways in photosynthetic proteins. He also served as Chair of Ethics, and later took on the role of Copresident, for the University of Michigan Postdoctoral Association. Joseph also served as an organizer for ComSciCon-MI, as well as returning to Chicago to participate as a letter-writer for King João II of Portugal, an NPC in UChicago’s Papal Election LARP.
Fast forward to 2022, and Joseph joined the TOPTICA Photonics family. Now celebrating two fantastic years at TOPTICA, he wears many hats—Biophotonics and Ultrafast Laser Applications Scientist and Product Manager for Optical Isolators, as well as serving as A&T1 subcommittee co-chair for CLEO 2024.
In a nutshell, Joseph is not just a laser aficionado; his passion for service, professional kindness, and science communication and accessibility have followed him through his career so far.
Ana Shulla-Mesi, Ph.D.
Product Development Manager, Abbott
Before joining Abbott, Dr. Shulla-Mesi spent 10 years studying viruses and the mechanisms they use to infect human hosts and cause disease. For her PhD, she focused on Coronaviruses’ entry into respiratory cells (very relevant now), and during her Postdoc at the University of Chicago, she delved into the replication and assembly of Hepatitis C Virus. Dr. Shulla-Mesi has been at Abbott for about 7 years, and although she no longer performs bench experiments, she utilizes her scientific background to support and manage a large number of immunoassays used to detect cancer, cardiac, thyroid, infectious disease, and metabolic markers.