Expert Advisors

James is a leader in analytical and process sciences with fifteen years’ experience in biopharmaceutical analytical development and R&D. He is passionate about building teams and enabling them to solve industry problems. His technical focus is on Quality by Design for analytical methods, analytical bioseparations and mass spectrometry.

Dr. El Debs holds a PhD in microfluidics, specializing in manipulating small fluid volumes to study single cells. Along with an extensive experience in high throughput approaches and lab automation, Dr. El Debs has led a team of scientists exploring disease mechanisms to identify treatment targets for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Currently, as the head of the High Throughput Center of Excellence at Lonza, Dr. El Debs focuses on increasing R&D throughput by integrating novel technologies and automating scientific workflows. This role involves optimizing biologics production and understanding new molecular formats, ultimately enhancing biomanufacturing processes. Dr. El Debs is dedicated to fostering teamwork and innovation, leveraging high throughput tools to generate valuable data and enable AI-driven methodologies. This approach addresses customer challenges, optimizes operations, and develops new offerings in response to emerging trends.

Vishwanathgouda, known as Vish, is a Scientist at Lonza, leading the Bioreactor and High Throughput group. His primary focus is on establishing small-scale culture platforms and optimizing processes in large-scale bioreactors. With a PhD in Life Science, Vish brings a wealth of research experience in mammalian cell culture. His expertise spans both academic and industrial settings, with a particular focus on media and feed formulation, clone screening, and process development. He excels in creating experimental models and intends to utilize them for predictive process modeling to make process development simpler. Vish is passionate about leveraging his technical skills and research background to drive innovation and solve complex challenges in the biotech industry. His goal is to collaborate with like-minded professionals to develop cutting-edge solutions and make a meaningful impact.

Deniz is a seasoned biotechnology and pharmaceutical expert with over a decade of experience. Currently serving as a Senior Manager at Lonza, Deniz leads innovative projects in BioR&D leading a team focusing on upstream development for mammalian cell culture at various scales. Previously, Deniz was an Assistant Professor at Acıbadem University and had worked at Turgut Pharmaceuticals, and MedImmune. She holds a PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Her research interest includes process development, creating process models, and small-scale culture platform development. She had special interest in using omics models in process development, integrating genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data to optimize bioprocesses, improve product quality, and increase efficiency. She is passionate about leading teams to enable novel technologies for commercial operations.

Ming is a Director for Biologics R&D Strategy at Lonza. In this role, she leads innovation roadmap alignment and strategic reviews to drive long-term success. Ming brings extensive experience in biopharmaceutical R&D, digital innovation, and business transformation. Prior to Lonza, she held senior roles at management consulting firms, where she lead digital transformation initiatives, developed R&D service offerings, and provided strategic consulting to top pharmaceutical and biotech companies. With a scientific foundation from roles at Roche, Novartis, and ETH Zürich, she combines deep technical expertise with commercial acumen to influence executive decision-making and deliver impactful solutions. Ming holds a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Celine Bordin is a European Patent Attorney with a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property. Before transitioning to the field of Intellectual Property (IP), she thrived in the realm of biological innovation, gaining valuable experience in R&D at well-established biotech companies in Berlin, such as Biotez and TibMolBiol. These companies specialize in the development of immunoassay kits and the manufacturing of nucleotide molecules, including custom primers.

Following an internship at a law firm, Celine embarked on a career in Intellectual Property, contributing to pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Bayer. She has been involved in drug development projects and the management of marketed drugs, all while maintaining a strong connection to the scientific community.

Currently, Celine serves as a Senior IP Counsel at Lonza, where she oversees the company’s patent portfolio, negotiates contracts such as supplier/customer agreements and research collaborations, and supports business acquisitions. She takes great pride in being part of an innovative company and enjoys educating employees about the importance of IP, highlighting both its advantages and potential risks.