SBIR/STTR Series 3/4: Writing your Research Strategy

Dr. Dana Upton excels at aligning both scientific and business objectives to help clients successfully advance their technologies. Her scientific training focused on DNA damage, repair, and replication in the context of cancer biology, immunology, and virology. Dr. Upton has served as a biotechnology strategy and writing consultant for early stage companies, and was one of the leaders of the Wake Forest Biotechnology Case Competition and Conference. Dr. Upton is also an ASQ-certified Six Sigma Black Belt. At EGC, Dr. Upton enjoys helping companies with their commercialization strategies to transition innovative solutions from the bench to the marketplace. In her free time, Dr. Upton enjoys baking, reading, and music.

Dr. Brandon Turner provides a broad range of scientific expertise ranging from neuronal physiology to animal behavior to molecular biology and genetics. Dr. Turner is an experienced Manuscript Editor and Science Writer, and his many awards include a National Institutes of Health (NIH) F31 Institutional Training Grant at Vanderbilt University and a postdoctoral F32 NRSA through the NIH BRAIN Initiative at Duke University. Dr. Turner has a strong passion for helping scientists design and complete novel and exciting projects. In his current position at EGC, Dr. Turner enjoys the unique opportunity to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in developing new technologies and innovations. In his free time, Dr. Turner enjoys cooking with his family, reading, biking, and spending time outdoors with his dogs.

Dr. Chelcie Heaney has strong behavioral and molecular neuroscience expertise, including preclinical animal models and mechanisms affecting molecular translation. Her previous research included elucidating the role of inhibitory signaling in learning and memory processes, identifying the key molecular mechanisms associated with the efficacy of rapid antidepressants, utilizing bioinformatics to identify FDA-approved medicines predicted to treat major depression in autism, and examining how major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorders co-occur, with an emphasis on adolescent vulnerability. Dr. Heaney’s work has been supported by various funding sources, including a Graduate Student Scholarship from the American Psychological Foundation and Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 Training Grant from Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Department of Neuroscience, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Fragile X Research Foundation. At EGC, Dr. Heaney enjoys collaborating with scientists with diverse training backgrounds, and helping clients obtain funding to develop their groundbreaking technologies. In her free time, Dr. Heaney enjoys cooking and baking, solving cryptic crosswords, and exploring the culinary offerings of the cities around her.