Michael received his B.S. in Chemistry from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of California, San Diego. Before joining the industry, he completed post-doctoral studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and Los Alamos National Laboratories where he utilized chemistry to study enzyme mechanisms and nanoparticle formation. Prior to Cepheid, Michael’s industrial experiences involved working on different approaches for siRNA and mRNA delivery at Nastech and PhaseRx Pharmaceutical companies. Michael also has a Technology Management MBA degree from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.
His role at Cepheid is to discover and introduce new chemical technologies that enable cleaner, faster, and more specific molecular diagnostics that are highly multiplexed in a single PCR tube. At Cepheid he manages the chemistry R&D group consisting of roughly 20 scientists ranging in backgrounds from small molecule & oligonucleotide synthesis to sample preparation and microbiology activities. Over his nearly 10 years at Cepheid, he has had several roles in the organization including tech transfer, project management and R&D management.