Leadership
Board of Directors
Bernard Coulie, MD, PhD
Established leader in the industry, including in research and clinical development. International experience including drug discovery and clinical development at Johnson & Johnson and cofounder of ActoGeniX.
Howard Bernstein, MD PhD
Former CSO of SQZ Biotech with 30 years of experience in technology & drug development. Involved in the development of nine products and holds 250 patent applications. Member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Paul Bolno, MD
Has a broad industry background in business development, investments, and commercial development.
Marc Elia
Over 20 years of industry and finance experience in biotechnology.
Pushkal Garg, MD
Over 15 years of experience in clinical drug development. Deep experience in immunology with years in late-stage development at BMS.
Klavs Jensen, PhD
Established leader in fabrication, testing, and integration of microsystems.
Marc Schegerin, MD
Established leader in biotech and corporate finance. Previously CFO of ArQule through Merck acquisition and senior roles in healthcare investment banking.
Amy Schulman
Former Pfizer executive named one of Fortune’s 50 most powerful women in business in 2013.
Sapna Srivastava, PhD
Experienced board member and CFO, with roles in strategic planning, and in equity research across the industry. Experience includes leading Intellia as CFO through their IPO.
Patrick V.J.J. Vink, MD
Over 30 years of experience as a senior executive and board member in the life sciences industry, including broad international expertise. Prior senior leadership roles at Cubist, Novartis Group, Biogen, and Sanofi-Synthelabo Ltd.
Scientific Advisory Board
Darrell Irvine, PhD
In addition to positions at MIT, The Koch Institute, and The Ragon Institute, investigates immune engineering strategies for The Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Tyler Jacks, PhD
Director of The Koch Institute for Cancer Research and MIT professor breaking new ground in gene targeting strategies for cancer.
Robert Langer, ScD.
SQZ founder, MIT Koch Institute Professor, and most cited engineer in history renowned for his contributions to the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering.
David Sachs, MD
Thought leader in immune tolerance research, discovered MHC Class II antigens and initiated the first successful clinical trials of transplantation tolerance. Currently directs transplantation research at both Columbia and MGH.
Arlene Sharpe, MD, PhD.
Co-developer of the anti-PD1 checkpoint blockade and co-director of The Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases at Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Mark Shlomchik, MD, PhD
Chair of the Department of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and leader in studies of B cell immune responses, B cell memory and systemic autoimmune diseases like SLE.
Ulrich von Andrian, MD, PhD
Mallinckrodt Professor of Immunopathology at Harvard Medical School and leader in understanding the regulation and function of immune cells.
Kai Wucherpfennig, MD, PhD
Chair of Cancer Immunology and Virology at Dana Farber. Established leader in the field with 35 years of experience; current research focus on T cell immunology and the role of T cells in cancer immunology.
Strategic Advisors
Interim Chief Executive Officer; Member of Board of Directors
Howard Bernstein, MD PhD
Former CSO of SQZ Biotech with 30 years of experience in technology & drug development. Involved in the development of nine products and holds 250 patent applications. Member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Chief People Officer
David First
Accomplished, passionate Human Resources executive who has held several senior leadership roles in life sciences and technology. Experienced CHRO in MedTech and biotech overseeing several successful high-profile evolutions in corporate life cycle. A basketball coach and former educator whose passion for people and culture has proven to bring winning teams together in the corporate world.
General Counsel
Larry Knopf
Life sciences legal expert with over 30 years of experience. Most recently served as general counsel and secretary at Heartware International with responsibilities across corporate, IP, and strategy. Previously deputy general counsel at Boston Scientific and associate at two Boston corporate law firms.
Chief Medical Officer
Marshelle Smith Warren, MD
Experienced drug developer in oncology, immunology and infectious disease, Dr. Warren has had a focus on viral malignancies, T cell-directed therapies and autoimmunity with prior leadership and clinical development roles at Allovir, Viracta Therapeutics, Atara Biotherapeutics, Ionis, Gilead, Amgen, and AstraZeneca. During her career, Dr. Warren has made significant contributions to approved products in immunology including blockbuster Enbrel® and Accolate®.
Chief Accounting Officer
Richard Capasso
Finance and accounting leader with over 25 years of experience serving life sciences companies in senior roles including Managing Director in EY’s FAAS practice, Senior Director at Danforth Advisors, and Director of Commercial Accounting at Biogen. Rick is a CPA in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
VP, Clinical Operations
Kathleen Large
Industry veteran of large, mid-size and small biopharma companies with 20+ years of experience in clinical development and operations for oncology, immuno-oncology and cell therapy agents. Expertise in global clinical programs at Eli Lilly, Takeda, Epizyme and, most recently, Trillium Therapeutics, which was acquired by Pfizer for its CD47 program.
VP, Translational Research
Scott Loughhead, PhD
Joined SQZ Biotech in 2015 and has been instrumental in the translational research for both SQZ® APC and SQZ® eAPC programs from preclinical proof-of-concept to successful IND submission and approval. Dr. Loughhead has worked closely with Roche since the inception of our collaboration. Over 15 years of immunology experience. Holds PhD in Immunology from Harvard University where he focused on immune surveillance by CD8 T cells.
SVP, CMC & Quality
Ipsita Roymoulik, PhD
Over 20 years of CMC expertise supporting clinical development of oligonucleotide, mRNA and cell therapy drugs. Breadth in analytical development, process development and quality assurance within contract manufacturing and drug innovation organizations. Previously contributed to 2 BLAs and dozens of client INDs at Avecia and Moderna’s first 10 INDs.