Dr Catherine Stace, Founder
My goal is to support the long-term growth and value of companies, by promoting good structure, definition and characterisation to the core technology, right from the start.
What I do
I help a team to define key processes & workflows, collate supporting evidence of technology integrity & structure, and clarify the baseline: the reference point for innovation, IP, and commercial decision-making. Importantly, I offer training/information sessions to stand teams in good stead and enhance in-house skills. I refer to the basics of Systems Engineering (the well-renowned roadmap used by other industries to drive innovation) to guide, align and futureproof the foundations. A few wise moves early on, can save time, minimise risk and maximise confidence, providing the roots for later success.
Why this matters
There are scant sources of practical, technical guidance for scientists as they translate raw methods from academia/research into reliable industrial processes & workflows. My first-hand experience in the hectic, exciting and highly-fluid world of the start-up lab, revealed key do’s and don’ts of basic system design and implementation – simple things that can make a massive difference downstream. I am keen to share this background knowledge with other scientists to help them as they address these challenges for the first time and build first-class systems.
Who am I?
I am an experienced laboratory scientist, with a background in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. I have spent my career in start-up companies in Biotechnology and Therapeutic Discovery, and am an inventor on patents for core technologies and clinical candidates. After my PhD at Cambridge, I worked as a post-doctoral lab scientist for over a decade, focussing on technology development roles in drug-discovery start-ups, usually in the founding team. I specialise in the transformation of novel methods into robust processes, and I have a thorough overview of the therapeutic development pipeline. I now combine this with my training in Systems Engineering to offer structured, forward-looking guidance to others.