M.S. in Biotechnology Program

Program Faculty and Instructors

Photo of MS in Biotechnology program faculty and instructors
Some of the MS in Biotechnology Program’s principal faculty gathered for our New Student Orientation. (August 2018)

The program’s instructional faculty are a blend of world-renowned scholars from across ALL of UW-Madison, including the following:

And dynamic leaders from across the region’s private biotechnology industries, including the following companies:

All the program’s faculty and staff are deeply committed to your education and career success.

Various global subject matter experts provide guest lectures throughout the curriculum, including class sessions with U.S. Government regulatory agencies:

Our Instructors

Natalie Betz

Credentials: PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Position title: Academic Director
M.S. in Biotechnology Program (in-person)
Capstone Certificate in Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs (online)
M.S. in Applied Biotechnology (online)
Capstone Certificate in Applied Bioinformatics
School of Medicine and Public Health
University of Wisconsin - Madison

Kristen Birschbach

Credentials: PhD in Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology

Position title: Director, Program Management
Catalent Pharma Solutions

Karin Borgh

Credentials: PhD

Position title: Executive Director
Biopharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI)

Nick Caruccio

Credentials: PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology

Position title: Business Operations Director - Life Sciences
Promega Corporation

Mark Cigan

Credentials: MS Zoology, Ph.D.

Position title: Global Head of Genetic Innovation
Cobb-Vantress

Russ Coff

Credentials: PhD in Business Administration

Position title: Professor, Management & Human Resources;
Thomas J. Falk Distinguished Chair in Business
Wisconsin School of Business

Hansi Dean

Credentials: PhD

Position title: Vice President and Head of Discovery Research, Takeda Vaccine Business Unit
Adjunct Professor, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

Ed Elder

Credentials: PhD in Pharmacy

Position title: Director, Zeeh Pharmaceutical Experiment Station, UW-Madison
Zeeh Pharmaceutical Experiment Station
School of Pharmacy

Michael Falk

Credentials: JD, MBA, MS in Bacteriology

Position title: Chief Intellectual Property & Licensing Officer
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

Fabio Gaertner

Credentials: PhD in Accounting and Finance

Position title: Assistant Professor, Accounting & Information Systems
Wisconsin School of Business

Martin Ganco

Credentials: PhD in Business Administration

Position title: Associate Professor, Management & Human Resources
Academic Director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship
Wisconsin School of Business

Heather Gerard

Credentials: MS in Biotechnology

Position title: Senior Intellectual Property Protection & Strategy Manager
Promega Corporation

Jennifer Gottwald

Credentials: PhD in Botany

Position title: Director of Licensing
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

Peter Green

Credentials: PhD, RAC (US)

Position title: Regulatory Manager, Hollister Incorporated
Adjunct Professor, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

Aidan Holmes

Credentials: BS in Genetics

Position title: Laboratory Technician
Biopharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI)

Jennifer Leny

Credentials: MS in Biotechnology, MBA

Position title: Quality Assurance at WiCell
Adjunct Professor, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

Dave Lewis

Credentials: PhD in Biochemistry

Position title: Head of Therapeutic Development
Empirico, Inc.

Carol Lindsay

Credentials: PhD in Genetics

Position title: Regulatory Affairs Program Manager
Promega Corporation

Thomas Machleidt

Credentials: PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology

Position title: Director of Research
Promega Corporation

Jessica Martin Eckerly

Credentials: MBA, MS in Biotechnology

Position title: CEO and Co-Founder
Forward BIOLABS

Terri McDonnell

Credentials: MBA

Position title: Director, Global Custom & OEM Commercial Development
Promega Corporation

Don McKenzie

Credentials: PhD in Medicinal Chemistry

Position title: Vice President, Head Global Drug Metabolism & Environmental Sciences, Labcorp

Linda Miller

Credentials: MS in Biotechnology

Position title: Senior Project Manager, Product and Portfolio Strategy, Novocure
Adjunct Professor, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

Mahka Moeen

Credentials: PhD in Strategy and Entrepreneurship

Position title: Associate Professor, Management and Human Resources
Wisconsin School of Business

Pilar Ossorio

Credentials: JD, PhD in Microbiology and Immunology

Position title: Professor of Law and Bioethics
University of Wisconsin Law School
Ethics Scholar-in-Residence
Morgridge Institute for Research

Ben Seffrood

Credentials: MBA, MS in Biotechnology

Position title: Manufacturing Finance, Illumina (Madison); Adjunct Professor, MS in Biotechnology Program, UW-Madison

Hemanth Shenoi

Credentials: PhD in Immunology

Position title: Associate Director Product Management, NeoGenomics Laboratories

Alan Smith

Credentials: PhD in Plant Genetics

Position title: Associate Director of Computational Biology
Stemina Biomarker Discovery

Laura Strong

Credentials: PhD in Organic Chemistry

Position title: Vice President, Strategy and Healthcare
DataChat Inc.

Charlie Trevor

Credentials: PhD in Industrial and Labor Relations

Position title: Professor and Department Chair, Management & Human Resources
Wisconsin School of Business

Michelle Venturini

Credentials: MBA, SPHR

Position title: Adjunct Faculty, UW-Madison
BioHR Consulting

Cheryl Vickroy

Credentials: MBA

Position title: Founder and Principal
Bachner Vickroy Group, LLC

Eric Vincent

Credentials: PhD in Biochemistry

Position title: Senior Global Product Manager
Promega Corporation

Tracy Worzella

Credentials: MS in Biotechnology

Position title: Customer Experience Science Liaison,
Promega Corporation