Leadership

ADVISORY BOARD

Jose A. Gomez, Ph.D.

Chair, Cal State LA BioSpace

Howard Xu, Ph.D.

Director, Incubator Development and Programming

Jose A. Gomez, Chair, Cal State LA BioSpace
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Cal State LA

Susan Baxter, Executive Director, CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology

Cecilia Estolano, Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Estolano LeSar Advisors

Gary Fujii, President and CEO, Molecular Express, Inc.

Wendie Johnston, Laboratory Director, Pasadena Bio Collaborative Incubator

Tariq Marji, Executive Director, University Auxiliary Services.

Wenyuan Shi, Founding Scientist, C3 Jian Inc.

Jeff Silverman, Corporate Vice President of Technical Operations, Americas, Celgene, Inc.

Jeffrey Underwood, Acting Chair of Cal State LA BioSpace, Associate Vice President for Research, Cal State LA

Howard Xu, Director of Incubator Development and Programming and Professor of Microbiology, Cal State LA

Willie Zuniga, President, Grifols Biologicals Inc.

PARTNERS

OUR TEAM

Jeffrey Underwood

Associate Vice President for Research
Deborah Won

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jocelyn Y. Stewart

Director for Communications
Jillian Beck

News Writer and Multimedia Content Producer
Olympia Woods

Graphic Designer
Edward Kitaoka

Web Designer
J. Emilio Flores

Photograph and Video Manager

Jeffrey Underwood

Associate Vice President for Research

Jeffrey Underwood is an associate vice president for research at Cal State LA and directs the University’s Office of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities. Since 2019, he has served as acting chair of Cal State LA BioSpace. He is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) and is active with the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP), and the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and served as the Nevada state climatologist at the University of Nevada.

Deborah Won

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Deborah Won is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cal State LA, with a research focus on neurorehabilitation technology, ranging from peripheral nerve stimulation to mobile apps integrated with wireless EMG sensors. The aim of her lab’s latest research is to develop a fitness system on a mobile platform to encourage and facilitate exercise for individuals who use wheelchairs.

Jocelyn Y. Stewart

Director for Communications

Jocelyn Y. Stewart is the director for communications. She oversees marketing and publicity for Cal State LA BioSpace and the Cal State LA BioStart Bootcamp, including news releases, photography, social media messaging and communications with partner organizations. She also directs content creation for the Cal State LA BioSpace and Cal State LA BioStart websites.

Jillian Beck

News Writer and Multimedia Content Producer

Jillian Beck is the news writer and multimedia content producer. She produces news articles, visualizations and other original content for Cal State LA BioSpace and Cal State LA BioStart. She also develops social media messaging and collaborates with strategic partners to promote regional bioscience initiatives.

Olympia Woods

Graphic Designer

Olympia Woods is the graphic designer. She oversees the creation and design of educational, marketing and promotional materials for Cal State LA BioSpace. She works closely with the leadership team and support staff to assist in the promotion of regional bioscience initiatives.

Edward Kitaoka

Web Designer

Edward Kitaoka is the webmaster. He oversees creation and design of webpages for Cal State LA BioSpace and the Cal State LA BioStart Bootcamp. He collaborates with photographers, graphic designers and coders to maintain and upgrade webpages.

J. Emilio Flores

Photograph and Video Manager

J. Emilio Flores is the photo and video manager. He oversees the production of multimedia assets for Cal State LA BioSpace and the Cal State LA BioStart Bootcamp. He works with graphic designers, web developers and content creators to develop marketing materials and to support the website needs for Cal State LA Biospace.

Jose A. Gomez, Ph.D.

Chair, Cal State LA BioSpace

Jose A. Gomez is the chair of Cal State LA BioSpace. He leads the University’s initiatives to develop a strong regional ecosystem for bioscience innovation, entrepreneurship, and business creation. He oversees design, development and execution of Cal State LA BioSpace. He is responsible for leading strategic partnerships between the University and business, government, and community stakeholders while creating educational opportunities for students. He has helped secure investment from L.A. County and the U.S. Economic Development Administration to support Cal State LA BioSpace and Cal State LA BioStart.

Howard Xu, Ph.D.

Director, Incubator Development and Programming

Howard Xu is the director for incubator development and programming. He directs and works with key bioscience stakeholders to successfully run the Cal State LA BioStart Bootcamp. He helps oversee the University’s initiatives in promoting a strong bioscience innovation ecosystem. He was honored with California State University (CSU) systemwide 2011 Andreoli Faculty Service Award and 2018 Faculty Research Award by CSUPERB (California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology). He has also helped secure funding from L.A. County and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.