Transpharmation

From taking a pivotal role at the helm of up to 40 preclinical and clinical translational scientists specializing in diverse CNS and GI indications to being strategic leader on several portfolios including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, pain, epilepsy and sleep disorders. Neil has also taken molecules directed to numerous targets through Discovery and into clinical trials. These include 5-HT6, H3 and OX1/2 receptors and GAP junction modulators.

When Neil can be dragged away from the lab he can be found enjoying a pint of home grown ale at his son’s Brewery.

Sandor has over 20 years’ experience in neuroscience research, published more than 20 research articles and was awarded with theprestigious Pickwick Fellowship of National Sleep Foundation to study the neurobiology of narcolepsy at Harvard Medical School. Prior to taking up his post at Transpharmation, Sandor held a research role at Cambridge University where he identified the abnormal changes in sleep and brain oscillations in Huntington’s disease as well as the drugs that can reverse them. As Scientific Lead at Transpharmation he is responsible for directing sleep-wake profiling and EEG assessment of novel, CNS acting compounds.

Sandor is also a big fan of jazz music and wishes to learn the bass guitar at some point in his life.

Kerry is an experienced behavioural pharmacologist who has worked in preclinical neuroscience research for over 20 years in industry leading companies including Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. Her area of expertise is in cognition, which has recently extended beyond the lab back into the world of academia where she is studying for an MBA alongside work. Kerry's role at Transpharmation is Business Development, perfectly suited to putting theory into practise whilst making sure that science remains the focus.

Kerry is a self-confessed adult fan of Lego, and finds building an excellent form of mindfulness relaxation - who’d have known!

Jack has over 10 years of experience in behavioural and molecular neuropharmacology across academia and industry. After completing a PhD at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, he spent time as a visiting researcher at the University of Michigan, USA. Following that, Jack returned to Ireland taking up a postdoctoral researcher post at the APC Microbiome Institute, University College, Cork working within an industry-academia partnership. Jack joined Transpharmation in 2014 and currently leads a team of innovative scientists responsible for translational models of psychiatric, neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders.

As well as an enthusiastic traveller, Jack is an avid sports fan and an ever-improving short distance runner.

Col is Transpharmation’s Operations Lead, Project Licence Holder and Animal Welfare Advocate. With over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry at leading companies including Rhone-Poulenc and GlaxoSmithKline, Col’s knowledge is expansive across numerous therapeutic areas such as pain, diabetes, arthritis and epilepsy. As such, she is well-placed to ensure all work conducted at Transpharmation is carried out to the highest standards. Alongside Amy, Col is instrumental in developing new assays and techniques for our ever-expanding portfolio of capabilities.

Col’s love of animals extends to all things equestrian. She owns a horse and competes at a regional level in dressage

Ewa Sokolowska holds a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Zurich. She has over 15 years of experience working with different mouse models gained whilst at EMBL Monterotondo, Italy as a trainee, at the University of Zurich as a PhD student, and at the University of Helsinki during her Postdoctoral fellowship. Ewa is also the author of several paper publications and poster abstracts. She has been at Transpharmation Ireland Ltd for the past three years, where she successfully runs multiple preclinical studies and leads a team of young scientists. Her research interests include all aspects of novel animal models with possible high clinical significance.

Latin music and dance is Ewa’s favourite pastime when she’s not hard at work.

Ana earned her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Minho, Portugal. She has over 10 years of experience in rodent models of pain gained during her MSc in Health Sciences and PhD at the University of Minho, Portugal, and her postdoctoral training at University College of London. Ana’s research experience is in preclinical models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain, with a focus on evaluating nociceptive, cognitive and emotional behavioural performances. Ana is also a skilled single-cell electrophysiologist and has experience in rodent models of chronic stress.

'Ana's hobbies include learning to play the drums and she hopes that one day she will be good enough to play in a band.

Amy has over 15 years experience in both the academic industry, studying for her PhD at University College London, as well as the R&D industry with Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. Amy is an expert in preclinical neuropathic and inflammatory pain models and their role in drug discovery and novel target validation as well as a Neuropharmacologist by training. Currently supervising two PhD students as well as guiding a group of young scientists, her main research interests include developing translatable measurements in naturally occurring and spontaneous pain models.

Yoga is one of Amy’s hobbies outside work and she harbours an ambition to become a yoga teacher in her spare time!