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

Eric Chun-Ming Huang

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.

Kera Nyemb-Diop

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.

Jennifer Cookson

Jennifer serves as the Sr Director of Development at Arcaea, a Boston-based start-up focused on creating materials and products accessible uniquely through biology. She has a broad base of experience in technical innovation and product development that she has applied in the translation and development of consumer products from scientific discoveries, in a variety of markets.

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).

Bradley Ringeisen

Brad Ringeisen is the Executive Director of the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), founded by Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Brad is a physical chemist with a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a pioneer in the field of live cell printing, and an experienced administrator of scientific research and product development. Before joining the IGI, Brad was Director of the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA, where he funded cross-disciplinary research at the cutting edge of biology, physical sciences, and engineering. His office was responsible for early investments in mRNA vaccines as well as a discovery platform that isolated one of the first monoclonal antibody treatments used during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has published over 70 peer reviewed scientific articles, holds 18 US Patents, and has given scientific presentations across the world including a recent TedX Berkeley presentation titled CRISPR for Climate.

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.