CASSS is excited to announce the winners of the 2025 CE Pharm Next-Generation Investigator (NGI) Award. The CE Pharm Symposium provides a forum to discuss recent developments in CE analysis and address practical concerns to strengthen the use of CE within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Next Generation Investigator Awards are an excellent opportunity for graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and early career industrial scientists to meet, network, and participate in exchanging knowledge with industry peers from across the world with waived registration and grants to offset travel expenses.
The 2025 award winners are Caitlin Kerr, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Gianna Pescatore, Eli Lilly and Company, and Laura Taylor, West Virginia University.
Caitlin Kerr, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Dr. Caitlin Kerr earned a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, where her research focused on capillary electrophoresis (CE) for protein and microorganism separations. Currently, Kerr is a scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb in New Brunswick, NJ, specializing in the development of iCIEF and SEC methods for biopharmaceutical characterization.
Gianna Pescatore, Eli Lilly and Company
Gianna Pescatore graduated from the University of Delaware in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biological sciences. Shortly after graduating, she began her first industry position at Eli Lilly and Company as a senior scientist in the bioproduct analytical development. Since starting at Eli Lilly, Pescatore has acquired extensive icIEF knowledge and has become the department's subject matter expert for icIEF method development and fraction collection.
Laura Taylor, West Virginia University
Laura Taylor is a fourth-year chemistry Ph.D. candidate at West Virginia University, working in Dr. Lisa Holland’s lab. Originally from the Philadelphia area, she earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry from Kutztown University. Her research focuses on capillary gel electrophoresis, and she recently published a paper in the Analytical Chemistry journal titled “Native Capillary Nanogel Electrophoresis Assay of Inhibitors of Neuraminidases Derived from H1N1 and H5N1 Influenza A Pandemics.” This article presents a capillary electrophoresis-based assay that preserves the native structure of tetrameric neuraminidases from H1N1 and H5N1 influenza A viruses. The assay enables quantification of enzyme activity and evaluation of neuraminidase inhibitors under physiological conditions.
In her spare time, Taylor enjoys working out and crocheting. She is currently working on a dress and a matching bag! She also has many different kinds of plants that she loves maintaining. After graduation, she plans to enter the pharmaceutical industry to develop and/or analyze vaccines and other types of medicines. She's excited about the opportunities ahead and looks forward to sharing her research with you all!