IROA Technologies’s Scientific Advisory Board is made up of seasoned researchers and business people who are actively engaged in the Company and that constitute the very focus of IROA Technologies’ activities, namely mass spectrometry, clinical and research applications of metabolomics, statistics and bioinformatics.
Oliver Fiehn, Ph.D., Professor and Metabolomics Facilities Director, UC Davis
Prof. Oliver Fiehn has pioneered developments and applications in metabolomics with over 220 publications to date, starting in 1998 as postdoctoral scholar and from 2000 onwards as group leader at the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam, Germany. Since 2004 he is Professor at the UC Davis Genome Center, overseeing his research laboratory and the satellite core service laboratory in metabolomics research. Since 2012, he serves as Director of the NIH West Coast Metabolomics Center, supervising 35 staff operating 16 mass spectrometers and coordinating activities with three UC Davis satellite labs, including efforts for combined interpretation of genomics and metabolomics data. The West Coast Metabolomics Center provides the most extensive and most in-depth analysis of metabolites available today, using a range of validated protocols for fee-for-service projects and scientific collaborations.
Rick A. Yost, Ph.D., Professor and Head, Analytical Chemistry, Robin & Jean Gibson Term Professor, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, University of Florida
Professor Yost is Professor and Head of Analytical Chemistry, University of Florida. Prior to attaining his Ph.D. in Analytical chemistry at Michigan State University in 1979, Professor Yost had already achieved a wide range of experience in analytical chemistry applications both in his graduate studies and job experiences, and had made notable achievements in the field. Of major significance, together with Professor Chris Enke (retired Professor of Chemistry, The University of New Mexico), Professor Yost conceived the computerized tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer for analytical MS/MS studies. His subsequent research led to the realization of the instrument in which he was recognized with the 1993 ASMS Award for Distinguished Contribution in Mass Spectrometry. Professor Yost’s research at the University of Florida has involved over 100 students funded by over $20M in research grants, and has led to the publication of over 160 papers and 16 patents. Based on these patents, over $30 billion of instruments have been sold. He has served on many prestigious boards including a two-year term as a member of the Florida Board of Governors (Regents) and Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates of Florida, the UF Board of Trustees, and the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry and the International Journal of Mass Spectrometry.
Timothy J, Garrett, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine
Prof Garrett received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in Chemistry graduating Summa Cum Laude with Highest Honors (1999). He was the recipient of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowship for undergraduate research. During his PhD program, Dr. Garrett worked under the direction of Dr. Richard A. Yost at the University of Florida. Here he developed the first imaging mass spectrometry based on ion trap instrumentation through a partnership with Thermo. As a graduate student, he received a Grinter Fellowship (2001-2002), a Proctor & Gamble award for excellence in graduate research (2005), the Baites-Laitnen award (2006), and the Crow-Stasch award for excellence in publication (2007 and 2008). Post graduation, he accepted a Research Assistant Professorship at the University of Florida in the Department of Medicine where he began research on targeted quantitation for clinical research and diagnostics using mass spectrometry. In 2014, he transitioned to an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Florida continuing his work to translate mass spectrometry to clinical areas. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, where he is also the Director of high throughput metabolomics, for the Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics and conducts research in the application of metabolomics to disease diagnosis and clinical diagnostics. Prof Garrett is the author of over 60 publications and is an Editorial Board member for Clinical Mass Spectrometry. His current interests are in the application of direct tissue analysis approaches such as MALDI, DESI, and LMJSSP as well as the use of high resolution mass spectrometry in metabolomics and routine diagnostics.
David Banks, Ph.D., Professor of the Practice of Statistics, Duke University
Professor Banks is Professor of the Practice of Statistics, Duke University. After attaining a Ph.D. in statistics from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Professor Banks began a career in statistics that has spanned over 25 years. During this time Professor Banks has held numerous positions including Acting Chief Statistician and Director of the Office of Advanced Studies, Bureau of Transportation Statistics as well as Special Assistant to the Director of Biostatistics at the US FDA. He has provided consultancy services for academic, government and industrial groups developing sophisticated statistical tools for a wide range of applications. Professor Banks has served on the editorial board of various journals. His career has merited distinguished awards for his dedication to statistics.