Early Stage Professionals (ESP) Committee

Charter

The Early Stage Professionals Committee strives to:

• Promote regional and global interaction and networking for early stage professionals (within 10 years of terminal degree or entry into the field of cell therapy) and to establish future leaders for ISCT.
  
  

Projects & Objectives

• Increase the number of early stage professionals in ISCT across all regions
• Increase the engagement of early career stage individuals to become ISCT members
• Provide networking opportunities for early stage professionals within ISCT
• Increase abstract and manuscript submissions from ESPs
• Foster ISCT loyalty and long-term membership retention
• Provide resources, career guidance, and support for early stage professionals to help ensure their success
• Secure corporate funding for the activities of the ESP subgroup
  
  

Virtual Events

• Webinar - Early Stage Professionals: How to Develop Competitive Proposals for Securing Independent Research Funding (2025)
• Webinar - Elevator Pitch Workshop (2025)
  
• Clinical Impact Forum - CAR T-cells for Autoimmune Diseases (2025)
• Webinar - Recruiter Workshop (2024)
• Clinical Impact Forum - Sickle Cell Disease & CGT (2024) 

Selected Publications

• Navigating Workforce Needs in the Field of Cell and Gene Therapy: Results of Workforce Survey Performed by the ISCT Early-Stage Professionals (ESP) Committee (2025)
• Early Stage Professionals Committee proceedings from the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy 2022 Annual Meeting (2023)
  
• Scientific venturing for early-stage professionals (ESPs), a key concept in the innovation ecosystem (2023)
  
  

Resources

• K12 Resources Compilation by Age
• CGT Career Atlas
• Pitching Slides
• 2025 Pitching Webinar
• 2024 Pitching Webinar
• Mentoring Program
• Telegraft Hub: Level Up Your Career With Mentorship That Matters
• Questions with a Postdoc: Dr. Kennedy - ISCT Early Stage Professional Community

The Committee

Co-Chair

Rachel Burga, PhD

Obsidian Therapeutics
United States

Co-Chair

Nisha Durand, PhD

Vitalant
United States

Arwa Zakariya Al Riyami, BSc, MD, FRCPc
University Medical City Oman
Oman

Alejandro Barquero, MPharm, MSc
Almirall
Spain

Laura Barrachina, DVM, MSc, PhD
Universidad de Zaragoza 
Spain

Chesarahmia (Dojo Soeandy) Bouhs, PhD
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network
Canada

Raniero Chimienti, PhD
Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute
Italy

Mikey Creane, BSc, MSc, PhD
HAON Life Sciences
Ireland

Alicia Didsbury, PhD
Centre for Cancer Research, University of Auckland 
New Zealand

Ashley Geiger, MSc
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
United States

Elizabeth George, MS, MEM
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
United States

Mahlegha Ghavami, PhD
BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
Canada

Monica Klein, MD
Mayo Clinic Rochester
United States

Ibrahim Muhsen, MBBS
UAB Medicine
United States

Albeena Nisar, MPhil, PhD
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC)
India

Maryam Pasdar, BSc
Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
United States

Nikita Patel, MSci, PhD
INmune Bio
United Kingdom

Colleen Richards, MSc
Thermo Fisher Scientific | PSG-STT
United States

Manuela Romano, PhD
European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), Council of Europe
France

Ali Shokoohmand, PhD, AFHEA
The University of Queensland
Australia

Thomas Spoerer, BSc
University of Georgia
United States

Pierre Springuel, PhD 
University College London 
United Kingdom

Jack Tremblay, BSc
Baylor College of Medicine
United States

Ben Weil, EngD
INmune Bio
United Kingdom

Elani Wiest, PhD
Mayo Clinic
United States

Piriya Yoganathan, PhD, MBA
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Canada