Cheri Ackerman

A leader of scientific innovation and a winner of the Petri Bio Emerging Women Founder Award, Cheri co-founded Concerto to reinvent humanitys relationship with microbes. Cheri led Concerto to raise oversubscribed Seed and Series A investment rounds, fueling the companys development of transformative microbial treatments and industry partnerships. Cheri has built a strong company culture centered around rigorous science, intent listening, and compassion. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley (Hertz Fellow) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (NIH Kirschstein Fellow).

Angela Christiano

Angela M. Christiano, PhD is the Richard and Mildred Rhodebeck Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Dermatology at Columbia University, where she also serves as Advisory Dean for Basic Science Faculty. Her research is focused on understanding the molecular processes that lead to inherited skin and hair disorders in humans, and interrogating disease mechanisms using mouse models. The lab’s most recent work revolves around the investigation of the underlying genetic and immunologic drivers of alopecia areata, and identification of potential new therapeutic targets. Her team pioneered the foundational research and proof-of-concept studies that supported the use of JAK inhibitors as a novel treatment for alopecia areata. Dr. Christiano has received numerous awards, including the William Montagna Award and the Naomi Kanof Award from the Society for Investigative Dermatology, and the Ebling Award from the European Hair Research Society. She is a past President of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, and is currently President of the American Hair Research Society. Dr. Christiano was a founding Editor of Experimental Dermatology, and served as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology for ten years and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation for five years. She earned her MS and PhD degrees in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Rutgers University, and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Jefferson Medical College. In 2020, Dr. Christiano was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Eric Chun-Ming Huang

Professor Eric Huang’s research with 128 peer-reviewed research articles has been focused on therapeutic microbiome where microbes are used for development of vaccines, probiotics and other therapeutics.

Josh Parris

Josh Parris has over 12 years of microbiome research experience providing new insights into the temporal dynamics of human/animal gastrointestinal microbiomes, exploring connections between the gastrointestinal microbiome and host health, and optimizing meta-omic sequencing protocols to recover more target sequence from low biomass and/or high host background microbiome samples. His current research focuses on discovering connections between the microbiome and skin health for infant skin and vulvar skin. Dr. Parris has a B.S., M.S., and PhD in Biology with a focus in Molecular Microbiology. He has served as a postdoc with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was awarded an Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Dr. Parris has authored or co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications.

Julia Durack

Julia Durack is the VP of Research and Product Development at Symbiome, a San Francisco- based microbiome R&D company and the manufacturer of Symbiome™ Skincare products. As well as a Director of Holobiont Medical Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on advancing research on the microbiome and its role in health and disease. She completed a Ph.D. in Food Microbiology and BS (with Honors) in Biomedical Science from the University of Tasmania, Australia. She has held research placements at Australian institutions, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco; has a track record of scientific impact and serves as an Associate Editor in Molecular Bacteriology and Microbiome for Frontiers in Bacteriology.

Natalise Kalea Robinson

Health innovation leader, Natalise Kalea Robinson, is the Co-Founder + CEO of Parallel Health, a precision skin health company that empowers you to live in your best skin, utilizing skin microbiome science, big data, and phage technology. Formerly a signed recording artist who went on to start her own label and publishing house after graduating from Stanford in three years, Natalise is no stranger to hustle. She is an experienced operator, brand marketer, and entrepreneur who has worked across various industries media, consumer beauty, biotech, etc. She has served in executive roles, transforming brand identity, building teams, 10x-ing margins, and 10x-ing revenue. Natalise received her BA (summa-cum-laude) from Stanford and MBA from Stanford GSB.

Feranmi Aboderin

Feranmi is a Scientist I at Arcaea, working on the Skin Microbiome team. Passionate about microbiome research and bioinformatics, he has been an integral part of multiple projects aimed at innovating personal care products through microbiome science. His work focuses on developing methods for modulating the skin microbiome community in vitro and in-vivo, and investigating the composition and functional capacity of the skin microbiome for axillary and scalp applications. He holds a Master of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Obafemi Awolowo University.

Nicole Scott

Cristina Llorente

Lada Rasochova

Tiina Orasmäe-Meder

Dr. Tiina Orasmäe-Meder embarked on her career in cosmetic dermatology and aesthetic medicine in 1995, specializing in topical solutions for aesthetic concerns. As a medical expert in cosmetovigilance (cosmetic safety), she contributed to Sociris Lab’s (France) research initiatives. With a focus on safety and efficacy, she led International Professional Training for Cellap Lab (Switzerland) and served as a medical consultant for Thalgo Lab’s (France) Research & Development projects until 2009. In 2009, Dr. Orasmäe-Meder established her own company, offering cutting-edge microbiome-friendly professional skincare used in over 30 countries. Today, she heads UK-based Meder Beauty International Ltd and lends her medical expertise to R&D at Cosmotec Lab (Switzerland).

Brent Ridge

Dr. Brent Ridge completed his medical training at Columbia University in NYC and an American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) fellowship in the genetics of aging at Harvard University.

He served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital where he conducted research at the International Longevity Center under pioneer Dr. Robert Butler.

After receiving an MBA at NYU Stern School of Business, he became the VP of Healthy Living at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia where he spearheaded the founding of the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai.

In 2008, he co-founded Beekman 1802 with his husband, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and is an ambassador to the Global Wellness Institute

Andrea Nardelli

• 2014 Specialization in Dermatology. Council of Physicians of the Province of Cordoba, Argentina.: Dermatologist.
• 2006-14 PhD Studies in Medical Sciences: Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. “Fragrances: Contact Allergy and Allergic Contact Dermatitis”.
• 2005-06 Pre-doctoral Studies in Medical Sciences: Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Approved with greatest distinction of the jury
• 2003-04 Master of Science in Bioinformatics: Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.Thesis approve; courses incomplete.
• 1998-01 Resident in Dermatology: Hospital Nacional de Clínicas, National University of Cordoba.
• 1991-97 Medical School: Faculty of Medicine, UNC. Degree obtained: Physician.

PRESENT APPOINTMENTS

• 2014- Now- Post-doctorate. McMaster University-Medical Centre. Clinical research. Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute. Supervisor: Dr. Premysl Bercik.

Jessica O’Connell

Xin Zhou

Xin Zhou, Ph.D., is a experienced researcher in the realm of genomics and microbiome interactions, currently making strides at the intersection of microbiology, immunology, and genome sciences. His academic journey began with a Ph.D. from The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, under the guidance of George Weinstock, and progressed through a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University with Michael Snyder. Xin’s research primarily focuses on the intricate relationships between the microbiome at different body sites and its longitudinal impact on host health, particularly concerning diseases like type 2 diabetes and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Through his participation in the Integrated Human Microbiome Project (iHMP) and his work on type 2 diabetes, Xin has produced several high-profile publications. His pioneering development of a bioinformatics tool to quantify microbiome individualization opens new avenues for personalized probiotics and microbiome transplantation strategies.

Elsa Jungman

Dan Brownell

Dan Brownell is the Senior Director of Research and Development at AOBiome Therapeutics, responsible for leading their preclinical and R&D programs since joining in 2018. Dan brings 20 years of scientific experience, with a focus on the use of microorganisms to achieve positive outcomes. At AOBiome, Dan leads a high-performing team of scientists responsible for better understanding the mechanisms of action of Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria and their use as a treatment for inflammatory disease. Prior to AOBiome, Dan held diverse roles within the biotech community, including in the fields of rapid diagnostics, synthetic biology, and biofuels.

Oliver Worsley

Oliver is the co-founder and CEO of Sequential. A pioneer in the microbiome testing world, having initially launched the world’s first at-home skin microbiome test in 2019, and with over 4 years of R&D into the human microbiome have developed out their B2B testing platform. They are backed by the global leaders such as Innovate UK, Enterprise SG, A*STAR, Genome Institute of Singapore, SOSV, Metaplanet, Scrum Ventures, Corundum Systems Biology, and operate three independent labs in London, Singapore and NYC.

Oliver completed his PhD in molecular genetics as a scholar at the Genome Institute of Singapore from 2014-2018, and has won multiple awards including the P&G Young Entrepreneurship Scheme, presented at the Royal Society in London in 2017; and the top prize at the L’Oréal Innovation Runway 2018. Oliver has previously founded Anya Consulting, a healthcare communications company that has published >150 articles and has produced several technical whitepapers for clients like Fierce Health. Prior, Oliver completed his BSc at Edinburgh University, including six months at Leiden University Medical Centre through the Erasmus Programme.