Ron Vale (President/Chairman of the Board)
Ron founded iBiology in 2006 and continues to oversee the project as PI, President, and Chairman of the Board. Ron is a Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His lab studies spatial organization, movement, and signaling within cells. Ron, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, was honored with the 2017 Shaw Prize and 2012 Lasker Award for his research. Outside of the lab, Ron spends his time on projects aimed at improving the scientific community. He recently co-founded ASAPbio, a scientist-driven non-profit focused on promoting the productive use of preprints in the life sciences. He also founded IndiaBioScience.org, a website and community resource providing information about the life sciences in India, and developed Micromanager, which is free, open source software for light microscopy.
Sarah Goodwin (Director and Executive Producer)
Sarah Goodwin joined iBiology as the Director in 2011. She has many roles at iBiology, including implementing the strategic vision, leading the team, overseeing video production, and growing the organization. Sarah has worked with leading biology scientists in a wide variety of fields to help communicate their research to a worldwide audience. She is especially interested in how iBiology videos can be used in education. Sarah is currently co-PI of the iBiology NSF grant, and an advisor on the NIH IPERT grant, which she helped conceive and develop. Sarah received her BA in Biochemistry from Middlebury College, and her PhD in Cell Biology from the University of California, San Francisco, where she characterized a microtubule binding protein that she named Patronin after the Harry Potter Patronus charm. Outside of iBiology, Sarah enjoys running, traveling, theater, and cheering on her favorite sports teams. Contact Sarah
Elliot Kirschner (Executive Producer)
An Emmy-award winning news and documentary producer, Elliot joined iBiology in the fall of 2015. He got his start at CBS News in New York, producing for such programs as 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, and the Evening News. In 2007, Elliot joined legendary news icon Dan Rather to help manage a cable news program where he commissioned and oversaw numerous science reports. Buoyed by this experience, Elliot is eager to show the world that "smart" and "entertaining" are not mutually exclusive, especially when it comes to science. Elliot and Rather recently co-authored the book "What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism." Contact Elliot
Shannon Behrman (Associate Director of Scientific Training and Education)
Shannon is passionate about educating audiences on impactful science issues through creative and effective communication. As part of the iBiology team, Shannon produces a variety of short talks that convey the excitement of science and explore issues facing the scientific community. She also organized the inaugural Young Scientist Seminar competition and video launch. Shannon received a PhD in cell biology at the University of California, San Francisco in 2010. Before joining iBiology in 2014, Shannon was a science communications manager at the National Cancer Institute. In her spare time, she loves exploring the outdoors, especially in places where you won’t find poison oak. Contact Shannon
Eric Kornblum (Video Guru)
Eric handles all things video for the iBiology team. Responsibilities include videography and editing, compression and posting, and media management and archive, not to mention overseeing external videographers and editors. Eric grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and received his BA degree in physics from UC Berkeley. Before joining iBiology in 2012, Eric was the senior video specialist at Electronic Arts. When not standing behind a video camera, Eric can be found standing... behind a still camera. Contact Eric
Alexandra Schnoes (Associate Director of Career and Professional Development)
Alexandra brings online career and professional development training to scientists. Prior to joining iBiology in 2016, Alexandra was the founding Program Manager of the UCSF Graduate Student Internships for Career Exploration (GSICE) program, which provides career path education, career planning, career counseling, and internship opportunities to PhD students. She is passionate about biomedical workforce issues, and is a contributor to several research programs that investigate the efficacy of different career and professional development interventions for scientist trainees. Alexandra received her PhD in biophysics from UCSF and her BS in chemistry and computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her spare time Alexandra is likely to be found playing outside, reading, practicing yoga & mindfulness or some random combination thereof. Contact Alexandra
Rosa Veguilla (Associate Director of Research Talks)
At iBiology, Rosa is responsible for leading the research video production pipelines including identifying seminar topics, overseeing video editing, and writing associated web content and educational materials. She grew up in Caguas, Puerto Rico with the melodic sound of the coquí, a Puerto Rican frog, and the traditional summer vacations at the beach. Rosa earned her BS in Chemistry at University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras, and her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. Before joining iBiology, she was a Preceptor for Life Sciences 1A at Harvard College and an Adjunct Faculty Professor at Harvard Extension School. She enjoys helping others to understand new concepts in the biology world and motivating them to love science. She equally enjoys a night of salsa dancing or a relaxing night reading a book. Contact Rosa
Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer (Associate Director of Diversity and Communication Training)
Mónica grew up in rural Puerto Rico, surrounded by nature, catching lizards and with a cow in her backyard, which sparked her interest in all things biology. She earned her B.S. in Human Biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón, and her Ph.D. in Neurobiology at Harvard University. At iBiology, Mónica combines her expertise in science communication, and diversity and inclusion to produce professional development content and short videos featuring the work and lives of scientists from underrepresented backgrounds. She is also the coordinator for the Young Scientist Seminars, a science communication competition and workshop for PhD students and postdocs. Mónica is also the Director of Communications & Science Outreach for Ciencia Puerto Rico, a non-profit organization using social networks to improve public understanding of science, transform K-12 science education and support the career development of young scientists. Contact Mónica
Nina Griffin (Supervising Editor and Producer)
With a background in both art and science, Nina strives to combine both interests to make science more accessible to the public. After receiving her BA from The New School in Interdisciplinary Science, she worked as a freelance science writer in New York City and served as Director of Communications at Imagine Science Films, where she realized the power of film. She decided to focus on film editing as her primary medium and has been editing ever since. At iBiology, Nina creates a variety of film content that ranges from light hearted shorts highlighting the culture of science, to educational seminar videos, to long-form documentary pieces featuring award winning scientists. When not in front of a screen, Nina enjoys hiking, running and dancing. www.ninagriffin.com. Contact Nina
Karen Dell (Content Editor)
Karen is responsible for pre- and post-recording editing of the iBioSeminar video series. She also writes material for the iBiology website and is involved with international outreach. Before joining iBiology in 2009, Karen was the reviews editor at the Journal of Cell Biology for 10 years. Karen grew up in Canada and received her PhD in Medical Science from the University of Calgary. Karen enjoys traveling and has lived in Japan, India, and, briefly, in the UK and Switzerland. Currently she spends her summers in Woods Hole, MA. When she isn’t working for iBiology, Karen can be found running, hiking or biking around Marin County or working in her garden. Contact Karen
Yolanda O’Bannon (Web Producer)
Yolanda combines technical, editorial and design skills to develop and promote the iBiology web presence. She also assists National Medal of Science winner Bruce Alberts, at UCSF. In her free time, Yolanda co-owns and manages YoWangdu Experience Tibet a web business devoted to preserving and promoting Tibetan culture. She loves traveling and volunteering for Tibetan education and culture projects. Contact Yolanda
Lobsang Wangdu (WordPress Developer)
Lobsang designs, codes and manages our websites. Lobsang also works as a developer and photographer for the University of California Natural Reserve System. He enjoys traveling to different reserves throughout California to photograph and shoot videos of the landscapes, scientists and students working on the reserves. Lobsang, also an experienced digital photographer and Tibetan cook, spent over twenty years as a monk training in Buddhist philosophy, and holds a Master's degree in Madyamikafrom the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India. He co-owns YoWangdu Experience Tibet.
Daniel McQuillen (Developer)
Daniel is an independent software developer, specializing in e-learning and simulation applications. He is helping the iBio team develop an e-learning site based on Open EdX open source software. Daniel received his MS in Information Design and Technology from Georgia Tech, and has developed a number of applications in the energy-efficient building domain for Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. When not wrestling with server builds, you'll find him with his wife and kids on a Tasmanian beach or on the field playing the beautiful game.
