Leadership
Management Team
Nicole L. Wagner, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Contact Email: nicole.wagner@lambdavision.com
Dr. Nicole Wagner obtained her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut under the advising of Dr. Robert Birge, a pioneer in the field of light-sensitive proteins. Nicole entered the graduate program in 2007 and spent the majority of her graduate career working on optimizing retinal-containing proteins for application in devices. During the course of her PhD research, she played a critical role in the proof-of-concept experiments which helped to found LambdaVision. Through the use of site-directed mutagenesis, site-specific saturation mutagenesis, and directed evolution, Nicole was able to genetically engineer the protein, bacteriorhodopsin, for a variety of device applications, including protein-based holographic and 3-dimensional memories, a chemical detection sensor, and, most recently, a protein-based artificial retina.
Nicole is an accomplished scientist and entrepreneur with numerous peer-reviewed publications, and has presented her research at both national and International meetings. In 2012, she received the Connecticut Technology Council’s Women of Innovation “Collegian Innovation and Leadership Award” for her work with LambdaVision, and in 2015, was listed as one of CT Magazine’s 40 under 40. Nicole currently serves as LambdaVision’s president and CEO. Since taking on the role of CEO, Nicole has been successful in securing over $10M in local, state, and government funding to accelerate the research, development, and commercialization of LambdaVision’s artificial retina.
Nicole L. Wagner, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jordan A. Greco, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Contact Email: jordan.greco@lambdavision.com
Dr. Jordan Greco obtained his PhD in Physical Chemistry at the University of Connecticut. Under the direction of Dr. Robert Birge, Jordan focused his graduate thesis work primarily on the investigation of the structure and function of photoactive proteins, using both spectroscopic and quantum mechanical approaches. Much of his work has contributed toward the application of the light-activated protein, bacteriorhodopsin into photonic and biomimetic devices, such as protein-based optical memories and processors, photovoltaic cells, and the protein-based artificial retina being developed by LambdaVision.
Jordan’s graduate thesis work influenced the design and development of the artificial retina construct and the production techniques that are used to produce the treatment. Moreover, his research efforts helped to direct critical proof-of-concept experiments that investigated the efficacy of the artificial retina architecture. As CSO, Jordan is responsible for the production of the artificial retinas, establishing standard operating procedures, quality control measures, and commercialization efforts.
Concurrent with his work on bacteriorhodopsin, Jordan has contributed to numerous computational analyses for the excited-state behavior of heterocyclic-conjugated compounds (e.g., porphyrin, chlorins, and corroles), carotenoids (e.g., peridinin), and other polyene-based chromophores rooted in biological systems. Jordan has presented this work to international audiences and he continues to remain active in the field via several multidisciplinary collaborations.
Jordan A. Greco, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Robert R. Birge, PhD
Founder
Contact Email: robert.birge@lambdavision.com
Dr. Robert Birge received his B.S. degree in chemistry from Yale University in 1968, his PhD in chemical physics from Wesleyan University in 1972, and was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University from 1973-1975. He was an Assistant and subsequently a tenured Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Riverside (1975-1984), and then served as Professor and Head of the Chemistry Department at Carnegie Mellon University (1984 – 1987). He joined the faculty at Syracuse University in 1988 where he was a University Professor of Chemistry and Physics, Director of the W. M. Keck Center for Molecular Electronics, and Research Director of the New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Computer Applications and Software Engineering. In January 2000, he joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut where he holds the Harold S. Schwenk Distinguished Chair in chemistry. He has published over 250 research papers and holds 5 U.S. and international patents on the use of proteins to make holographic associative memories, three-dimensional paged memories, and hybrid protein-semiconductor devices. He has served on the editorial advisory board of seven journals and was an associate Editor of Biospectroscopy. In 1997, he was listed among the fifty “Cyber Elite” by Time Digital for his work on protein-based devices, and the use of these devices for computer memories and processors. Dr. Birge won the Connecticut Innovations 2001 Annual Technology Award, the 2002 3M Award of Canada for Physical Chemistry and the 2009 Connecticut Medal of Science. Dr. Birge paved the way for the development of LambdaVision’s artificial retina and continues to be actively involved in the company.
Robert R. Birge, PhD
Founder
Board of Directors
Nicole L. Wagner, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Nicole Wagner obtained her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut under the advising of Dr. Robert Birge, a pioneer in the field of light-sensitive proteins. Nicole entered the graduate program in 2007 and spent the majority of her graduate career working on optimizing retinal-containing proteins for application in devices. During the course of her PhD research, she played a critical role in the proof-of-concept experiments which helped to found LambdaVision. Through the use of site-directed mutagenesis, site-specific saturation mutagenesis, and directed evolution, Nicole was able to genetically engineer the protein, bacteriorhodopsin, for a variety of device applications, including protein-based holographic and 3-dimensional memories, a chemical detection sensor, and, most recently, a protein-based artificial retina.
Nicole is an accomplished scientist and entrepreneur with numerous peer-reviewed publications, and has presented her research at both national and International meetings. In 2012, she received the Connecticut Technology Council’s Women of Innovation “Collegian Innovation and Leadership Award” for her work with LambdaVision, and in 2015, was listed as one of CT Magazine’s 40 under 40. Nicole currently serves as LambdaVision’s president and CEO. Since taking on the role of CEO, Nicole has been successful in securing over $8M in local, state, and government funding to accelerate the research, development, and commercialization of LambdaVision’s artificial retina.
Nicole L. Wagner, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Robert R. Birge, PhD
Founder
Dr. Robert Birge received his B.S. degree in chemistry from Yale University in 1968, his PhD in chemical physics from Wesleyan University in 1972, and was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University from 1973-1975. He was an Assistant and subsequently a tenured Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Riverside (1975-1984), and then served as Professor and Head of the Chemistry Department at Carnegie Mellon University (1984 – 1987). He joined the faculty at Syracuse University in 1988 where he was a University Professor of Chemistry and Physics, Director of the W. M. Keck Center for Molecular Electronics, and Research Director of the New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Computer Applications and Software Engineering. In January 2000, he joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut where he holds the Harold S. Schwenk Distinguished Chair in chemistry. He has published over 250 research papers and holds 5 U.S. and international patents on the use of proteins to make holographic associative memories, three-dimensional paged memories, and hybrid protein-semiconductor devices. He has served on the editorial advisory board of seven journals and was an associate Editor of Biospectroscopy. In 1997, he was listed among the fifty “Cyber Elite” by Time Digital for his work on protein-based devices, and the use of these devices for computer memories and processors. Dr. Birge won the Connecticut Innovations 2001 Annual Technology Award, the 2002 3M Award of Canada for Physical Chemistry and the 2009 Connecticut Medal of Science. Dr. Birge paved the way for the development of LambdaVision’s artificial retina and continues to be actively involved in the company.
Robert R. Birge, PhD
Founder
Susan Froshauer, PhD
Vice President, CURE Collaborations, LLC
Dr. Susan Froshauer has over thirty years of biotech and biopharmaceutical research and development experience. Most recently, Susan joined Yale Office of Cooperative Research as an Entrepreneur in Residence, returning to one of her drivers, connecting entrepreneurs to know-how, funding and approaches that ultimately identify cures to improve our quality of life. Susan also is a leader of the BioCT (“CURE”) Commons accelerator program, assisting with Thames River Innovation Places community entrepreneur outreach as part of a CTNext Innovation Places funded program, Ignite. She stepped-down from her role as President and CEO of BioCT (“CURE”) to better focus her time as a tech/biotech start-up executive and mentor, and to spend time on local community activities connected to science and policy education. Susan has been involved on multiple start-up boards, the CTNext funded group, SECT Tech, the Creative Arts Workshop and the Angel Investor Forum. Prior to BioCT, Susan was Director of the Technology Exchange Portal at the University of Connecticut’s Office of Economic Development. In this role, Susan assisted Connecticut-based entrepreneurs and organizations with initiatives that train students, create jobs and contribute to economic development. She connected ideas with business expertise, business plans with investors and industry with scholars. Until 2010, Susan served for 11 years as the founding President and CEO of Rib-X Pharmaceuticals (now Melinta), which she co-founded in New Haven in 2000. Under her leadership, Rib-X raised more than $160 million in private equity, bridge financing and government grants and started to build a pipeline of antibiotics to treat serious hospital infections. Now a public company, Melinta recently has launched its first product and has several other products on the market. Before starting Rib-X, Susan served as a member of Pfizer’s Strategic Alliance Groups where she was part of a team who created a $200 million technology investment portfolio established to transform the Pfizer global research and development strategy. She received a PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University and a B.A. in Botany from Connecticut College. She performed post-doctoral research at Yale Medical School in the Department of Cell Biology as a Jane Coffin Child’s Fellow.
Susan Froshauer, PhD
Vice President, CURE Collaborations, LLC
Kirk Dornbush, JD
COO and Co-Founder, Coagulant Therapeutics, Inc.
Mr. Kirk Dornbush has a biotechnology career spanning 15 years. In 2003, Kirk co-founded Iconic Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of a new drug candidate licensed from Yale University, called ICON-1. ICON-1 is a FVIIa-based recombinant protein that targets Tissue Factor, for the treatment of a variety of diseases including wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and cancer.
During his tenure as CEO, he was responsible for all areas of the company including, clinical operations, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, finance, human resources, grant writing and other general and administrative matters. Kirk managed a team of consultants and contractors who designed and implemented all pre-clinical toxicology and efficacy studies to support the company’s first IND filing, developed a cGMP manufacturing process, designed and implemented an 18 patient, Phase 1 study in patients with wet AMD. Kirk was responsible for all corporate financial matters including fundraising, payroll, payables, preparation of financial statements and annual budgets, and management of annual financial audits. From inception through April 2014, Kirk raised approximately $43.0 million in individual and venture financing for Iconic.
In April 2014, Kirk negotiated and closed Iconic’s $20M Series B, venture-backed financing. Concurrent with the Series B financing, Kirk hired William L. Greene, M.D. as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and moved the company to South San Francisco, CA. He remained as the company’s President and COO, helping to launch the company’s first research and development laboratory, negotiate corporate contracts including office leases, clinical trial agreements and CRO master service agreements, manage the diligence associated with its $50M Series C financing. He participated in the design, initiation and recruitment of an 88 patient, Phase 2a study in patients with wet AMD, and helped initiate a Phase 1 study in patients with Uveal Melanoma, manage further development of the manufacturing process and manage a variety of financial, general and administrative matters.
Kirk retired from the company at the end of 2016 and remains on the Iconic Therapeutics’ BOD. In 2017, Dornbush joined Coagulant Therapeutics, Inc. as Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder.
Kirk Dornbush, JD
COO and Co-Founder, Coagulant Therapeutics, Inc.
Cynthia Green
Senior Managing Director, Investments, Connecticut Innovations
A seasoned executive with over 24 years in biotech and big pharma with in depth expertise in collaborations, licensing, business development and raising capital. Currently working with CT Innovations and a variety of early stage companies on strategic business planning, securing venture funds, building effective teams and advisory boards to optimize and accelerate their ability to reach critical milestones.
Cynthia Green
Managing Director, Investments, Connecticut Innovations