Behind the Scenes: Meet the Avanti Innovators

At the core of Avanti's mission is our dedication to delivering the purest lipids and exceptional customer service. What truly distinguishes Avanti is our remarkable team. We're excited to highlight the exceptional contributions of a different employee each month, from chemists and engineers to GMP operators. Every team member is crucial to Avanti's success. Keep reading to learn more about these outstanding individuals who propel Avanti's excellence!

1. What’s your current role at the company, and what does a typical day look like for you? I am a process development chemist. My job is to create scalable processes for the manufacturing of products from the gram to kilogram scale. The process that are developed must comply with cGMP guidelines. A typical project might begin with experiments that take place in equipment found in a typical small-scale laboratory such as a round-bottom flask and end with a process that is optimized for equipment as large as 100 L. My day-to-day role includes performing reactions for development as well as completing all required documentation for the project.
2. How long have you been with the company? I have been with Avanti since June of 2022.
3. How do you stay motivated and inspired at work? I am motivated and inspired at work by the culture of the group I am a part of. They are also one of my favorite parts of the job. My managers and colleagues have fostered a culture where group members are allowed and encouraged to think critically and innovate the group with new technologies and processes for carrying out development. Additionally, everyone in the group is incredibly supportive of one another, and the managers make sure to highlight each of the group members’ accomplishments to leadership. Overall, it is the best team I have ever been a part of.
4. Are there any training or professional development opportunities that have particularly benefited you? Recently, I have attended an in-person course at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA for Design of Experiments (DoE). I have been given the opportunity to apply DoE to one of my projects as a test case for implementation of the philosophy into our group as a whole. It is exciting for me because it is one of the ways I can impact the way science is done at Avanti for the betterment of the company.
5. How do you see the future of the industry and your role within it? Based on my previous experiences explained in prior questions, I see a very bright future for lipids in biology and medicine. While this class of molecules was once thought to be relatively insignificant when it came to cell function, new research is reported every day that suggests the importance of lipids extends well beyond cell membranes which scientist originally thought was one of their only roles. The fundamental questions of life and medicine that are explained with lipids have only just begun to be answered. Just like any good field of science, lipids continue to bring up more questions than answers making them more important with each new study.
6. Why did you choose Avanti? In my graduate studies I synthesized phospholipids to study a rare lysosomal storage disorder called Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease. The disease is characterized by an uncontrolled accumulation of cholesterol in the late endosome/lysosomes of cells. NPC is typically found in children, and often fatal before adulthood. It was during these studies that I realized making lipids was my passion. I also understood the potential they had in medicine and in the fundamentals of biology. Furthermore, the chemists and biologists I worked with all recognized Avanti as a premium brand for their research. In fact, the Avanti brand was so premium that I was asked to return a lipid standard from another company and purchase Avanti’s product. It was the combination of these two reasons that made working at Avanti for me a no-brainer.
7. How do you like to spend your time outside of work? I like to go to the gym 5 – 7 days a week. I also enjoy playing guitar. I have been playing guitar for almost 17 years. I played in a band in high school and played in jazz band in high school and a little bit of undergrad. I am always looking for new people to play with. Recently, I have also picked up golf as a hobby.
8. What historical figure would you most like to meet and why? I would like to meet Jackie Robinson. I cannot think of many other people that had to overcome adversity more than him. I also enjoy baseball, and it's hard for him to not come to mind when considering the greatest players of all time.
9. What kind of music do you listen to? I will listen to all types of music, but I tend to gravitate towards rock, blues, and alternative music. My favorite bands are The Beatles, U2, Foo Fighters, and Bleachers.
10. What would be your favorite travel destination? My favorite travel destination would be Italy.