BROADBAND SPECIALISTS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Molecular Biology . .
Chris Foster received his B.S. degree in Molecular Biology in 1985 from San Jose State University. He then went to UC Davis Medical Center, working in the Dept. of Ob/Gyn, studying human papillomavirus. He initially produced human monoclonal antibodies against HPV coat proteins followed by the development of an infectivity assay and subsequent antibody neutralization assay for HPV-11. Chris joined Sierra Sciences in November 1999 and is the Director of Molecular Biology; he has distinguished himself as leader of our molecular biological efforts towards curing aging.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Research and Development
Laura Briggs received her B.S. degree in Nutrition in 1993 and her Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Health in 2000 from the University of Nevada, Reno. After a one-year post-doctoral position at UNR she joined Sierra Sciences in 2001 and is the Director of Cell Biology. Dr. Briggs is also currently serving as the biology Lab Coordinator for Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) and has collaborated on research projects at the V.A. Medical Center in Reno, Nevada.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Business Development .
Pierluigi Zappacosta was granted an MS in Computer Science from Stanford in 1978. In 1981, he co-founded Logitech, the leading maker of mice and other personal interface products that enable people to work, play and communicate in the digital world and over a period of 17 years filled various roles including President & CEO. He was instrumental in taking the company public in Switzerland in 1988 and on NASDAQ in 1997, raising a total of $60 million. By the time Mr. Zappacosta left in 1998, sales of Logitech had risen to over $400 million per year. He is also a Director of a number of private companies.
Job Titles:
- Director of Drug Discovery
Rathnam Chaguturu holds a Doctorate from SV University, Tirupati, India in Plant Biochemistry. After his postdoctoral work at University of Wisconsin-Madison, he joined Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) in 1976 as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, and later moved to Dow Chemical Company-Central Research Laboratories (Wayland, MA) as Project Leader. Rathnam Joined Sierra Sciences in 2006 after a 22-year outstanding career at FMC Corporation (Princeton, NJ) where he led discovery research efforts focused on ion channel, receptor and enzyme-based targets. Dr. Chaguturu has authored over 45 research publications including reviews and book chapters, and holds 10 US patents.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Finance .
Terry McAfee leads the finance and administrative functions of Sierra Sciences. He is responsible for financial and government reporting, financial planning and budgeting, and human resources. Mr. McAfee is a financial and business planning professional who has held financial leadership roles with Porsche Cars North America, Bank of America and Swift Newspapers. He has also advised a diverse array of clients in manufacturing, e-commerce and services. Mr. McAfee is a Nevada Certified Public Accountant and an active board member of the Reno Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants.