Organization of the team

Manos Perros, Ph.D, Director
Manos Perros provides leadership for the institute’s scientific mission and collaborative relationships. Prior to joining NITD as Director in 2009, he was Vice President and Head of Antiviral Research at Pfizer, overseeing a broad range of infectious disease research. He was a key scientist in the discovery of maraviroc, an antiviral agent for treatment of HIV infection and AIDS. He has spent most of his career researching infectious diseases caused by viral pathogens (HIV, Hepatitis C, influenza) as well as fungal infections. At Pfizer, Dr. Perros was instrumental in creating partnerships and furthering collaborations with groups such as the World Health Organization’s TDR, a global research effort to combat diseases of the poor and disadvantaged; Medicines for Malaria Venture; and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative.

 

 

Thomas Dick, Ph.D., Head of Tuberculosis Unit
Thomas Dick is heading the tuberculosis unit at NITD. He studied biochemistry and genetics at the University of Heidelberg and obtained his Ph.D. in molecular bacteriology. In 1990 he moved to Singapore to join the newly founded Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. In 1996 he became group leader and established the Mycobacterium laboratory. Interested in persistence of TB despite prolonged chemotherapy, he focused his research on phenotypically drug resistant dormant tubercle bacilli. He and his co-workers developed culture models for studying the dormancy response and identified DosR as the master regulator of dormancy. In 2002 he became Associate Professor. In August 2003 he joined the NITD in his current position.

 

 

Pei-Yong Shi, Ph.D., Head of Dengue Unit
Pei-Yong Shi is heading the dengue unit at NITD. He received his Ph.D. in flavivirus replication in 1995 from Georgia State University, USA. After postdoctoral training at Yale University, he joined Bristol-Myers Squibb as a Principal Scientist from 1998 to 2000. He then moved to the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health. His group at the Wadsworth Center developed the first infectious clone of the epidemic strain of West Nile virus, discovered two cap methylation activities of flavivirus NS5 protein, identified essential RNA elements for flavivirus replication, and established various novel platforms that have been used to screen and study inhibitors of flaviviruses. He is a member of Editorial Boards for both Journal of Virology and Virology. He joined NITD in August 2008.

 

 

Véronique Dartois, Ph.D., Head of Pharmacology Unit
Véronique Dartois is heading the pharmacology unit. She studied Biology and Genetics at the University of Louvain (Belgium) where she received her Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology. After a few postdoctoral years at the Scripps Research Institute (California) and Pasteur Institute (Paris), she joined a California-based start-up company to discover novel natural product antibiotics. Attracted to the field of neglected diseases, Véronique joined NITD in 2005 after completing a year of training in a pharmacology setting.

 

 

Thierry Diagana, Ph.D., Malaria Project Manager
Thierry Diagana is the project manager for the malaria projects portfolio funded by grants from the Wellcome Trust, the Medicines for Malaria Venture and the Singapore Economic Development Board. He completed his Molecular Biology Ph.D. at the Pasteur Institute (Paris) in 1995. As postdoctoral fellow he joined the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute (San Diego, California). Since joining an innovative biotech company in 2001, he has acquired expertise in oncology and neglected diseases drug discovery. Prior to joining the NITD, Thierry was scientific liaison on the Artemisinin Project Team at the institute for OneWorld Health, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company in San Francisco, California.

 

 

Kwee Heok Ong, Head of Finance
Kwee Heok Ong is responsible for the tax, legal and financing functions of NITD operations, as well as the procurement function in the Institute. Before joining NITD she was Audit Manager for Novartis Regional Audit, Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Novartis, she worked in the public accounting profession. She is a graduate of the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and a Certified Public Accountant.

 

 

Patsy Tan, M.Sc., Head of Human Resources
Patsy Tan is responsible for total human resources strategy and support to the NITD operations, including business partnering, staffing, employee relations, compensation & benefits, training & development and performance management. Prior to joining NITD, she held progressive HR roles in a multinational company and an HR consultancy. Patsy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

 

 

Rajesh Kudlur, Head of Health, Safety & Environment
Rajesh Kudlur is responsible for Health, Safety & Environment matters as well as Facilities Maintenance at NITD. Before joining NITD, he worked for 10 years as facility manager and an active member of Safety, Health and Environment committee at am R&D Drug Discovery unit. He holds a degree in Bachelor of Instrumentation Engineering from Bangalore University, India.

 

 

Joel Leong, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Research Physician
Joel Leong is responsible for clinical trials and clinical research. He joined NITD in January 2007 and prior to this was Medical Director of the Advanced Applications Division of Siemens Molecular Imaging. Past experience includes five years as Clinical Lecturer in Pathology in the Oxford University Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, three years as Visiting Professor in the UCLA Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, and four years in medical industry. His medical degree is from the University of Adelaide in South Australia and he has trained in anatomic pathology in Australia and the United Kingdom. He also has a Ph.D. from Oxford University in bioimaging and computer-aided diagnosis.

 

 

Stephanie Thompson, Ph.D. & LL.B., Patent Attorney
Stephanie Thompson is responsible for all patent related matters and fostering partnerships with key stakeholders. Stephanie received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Aberdeen. She spent about 3 years as a postdoctoral research associate in the US and in the UK, before commencing a career in intellectual property at Glaxo and The Wellcome Foundation Ltd in 1987. She holds an LL.B. degree from the University of London (External Programme) and a Masters degree in Intellectual Property. In Singapore, she has lectured at the Intellectual Property Academy of Singapore and was a founding member of Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL).

 

 

Youn Been Kim, Head of Global Partnerships
Youn Been Kim is responsible for research collaborations and partnerships. She joined NITD in February 2009. Prior to joining NITD, she was Research Alliance Officer in Novartis Korea and leading communications with regard to Novartis Venture Fund investment and licensing deals. Before this role, she worked in Marketing and Sales for 10 years in multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, Bayer and Servier. She holds a Bachelor of Manufacturing Pharmacy degree from the College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women's University and an MBA from Yonsei University, Korea.

 

 

Kong Kien Goh, MBA, Head of Information Technology
Kong Kien Goh is responsible for the Information Technology of the NITD operations, as well as the Information Security function in the Institute. Before joining NITD, Kong Kien was Global Service Manager of Novartis Global IT Infrastructure Services for 5 years. Prior to him joining Novartis, he held progressive IT and consultancy roles for 10 years in multinational company. Kong Kien graduated with a MBA degree in General Management from University of Leicester.