Leonard (Len) Duncan

Experience

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  Washington University in St. Louis

  Jan 1997 - Jan 2002

  Postdoctoral Research Fellow (studying development of the green alga, V. carteri)

  • Mastered a wide range of molecular biology techniques (e.g., PCR, library construction, blotting, cloning)• Discovered a new class of retrotransposons• Elucidated the unexpected evolutionary history of the key transcription factor involved in Volvox carteri development• Jane Coffin Childs Post-doctoral Fellow 1997-2000

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  Cumbre Pharmaceuticals

  Jan 2002 - Jan 2006

  Research Scientist

  • Developed and ran multiple antibacterial assays to bring antibacterial projects to go/no-go decisions• Led team that created, utilized and sold a large panel of P. aeruginosa strains containing efflux pump gene deletions• Delivered key antibacterial and in vitro ADMET data on rifamycin-quinolone hybrid series for successful IND application• Authored numerous study reports that were included in IND application• Wrote a successful SBIR grant to fund a new internal research project Show less

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  Vertex Pharmaceuticals

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2015

  Research Fellow I

  • Served as Project and/or Biology head of multiple hit-to-lead antibacterial teams, including a group that discovered a novel class of inhibitors with excellent activity against hard-to-treat species and animal efficacy• Managed research of direct reports to speed hit-to-lead optimization• Developed numerous antibacterial screening and mode-of-action assays to discover and optimize novel chemical matter• Leveraged extensive experience in bacterial genetics, molecular genetics and antimicrobial assays (MICs, time-kills, metabolic labeling, resistance mapping, microscopy, etc.) to bring novel chemical series to go/no-go decisions• Led Vertex Iowa research site as acting director during supervisor sabbatical• Served as acting Radiation Safety Officer for the research site and ensured compliance with all company and state regulations related to radioactive materials• Ensured compliance with NIH guidelines on rDNA research by serving as a member of the University of Iowa IBC Show less

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  JMI Laboratories

  Sept 2015 - Oct 2023

  Associate Director

  Provided expert experimental design, project management, data analysis, and scientific writing for clients in the areas of antimicrobial discovery, development, and surveillance