Delaware BioScience Association names new board members

Organization elects industry and educational leaders

NEWARK (July 11, 2023) – The Delaware BioScience Association (Delaware Bio) announced the election of Tim Mueller, Ph.D., of Prelude Therapeutics, Lakshmi Cyr, Ph.D., of Delaware Technical Community College, Sandra Lewisch, Ph.D., of Siemens Healthineers, Tracy Shickel of the University of Delaware and Shamus Whyte of AstraZeneca to its board of directors.

Tim Mueller is vice president, EHS, lab operations and facilities at Prelude Therapeutics, a precision oncology company. In addition to leading operational excellence for the safe and efficient operations of Prelude’s research laboratories, he is leading the effort to construct a new headquarters in Wilmington. Mueller has extensive experience building and supporting companies in the Delaware life science ecosystem including key roles at the Innovation Space and DuPont.

Lakshmi Cyr is instructional director and Science Department chairperson at Delaware Tech where she has been on faculty since 2007 and received the Excellence in Teaching award. Earlier in her career she worked in industry and did postdoctoral research at the University of Georgia and Ohio State University. She replaces Katie Lakofsky, who left Delaware Tech and the Delaware Bio board upon her appointment to lead industry workforce development.

Tracy Shickel is associate vice president of corporate engagement at the University of Delaware (UD). Shickel leads university-wide external engagement supporting innovation-based economic development, including growth of the University’s Science Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. Her background includes extensive strategy development and commercial leadership roles with chemicals, biologics and advanced materials innovators. Additionally, she serves on the Board of the Association of University of Research Parks (AURP), an organization representing university-anchored innovation communities.

Sandra Lewisch is senior director, R&D, Siemens Healthineers, based at the company’s Newark site. Lewisch leads development of clinical chemistry and immunoassays for automated clinical analyzers and has held progressive technical and leadership roles in R&D and led product development efforts from predevelopment through commercialization and customer support. She is an active committee member for Inspiring Women in STEM (IWSTEM) and UD’s Biomedical Engineering External Advisory Council.

Shamus Whyte is executive director and site manager, responsible for leadership and direction of the 300 professionals at AstraZeneca’s supply site in Newark. This includes accountability for all aspects of manufacture & supply of products to global markets supporting more than $8 billion in sales. Whyte has extensive global experience leading strategy and operations including assignments in the UK, Russia, Germany, China, Tibet and Nepal.

Delaware Bio also announced the reelection of two directors: Greg Tronto of Gore PharmBio Development and Chris Yochim, Director of Business Development at NIIMBL, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals. Yochim serves as chair of the Delaware Bio board.

“We are delighted to welcome these exceptional leaders to the board and know the organization will benefit from their deep expertise and their organization’s leadership in so many areas critical to the success of our Delaware life science community,” said Yochim. “Delaware Bio is thriving, with membership, engagement and impact growing in every respect; the addition of Tim, Lakshmi, Sandra, Tracy and Shamus will further strengthen our team, enhancing the diversity of experience guiding the board and this thriving sector so critical to Delaware and the nation’s future.”

For more on the Delaware Bio board go to: https://www.delawarebio.org/page/meet-de-bio

About Delaware BioScience Association
The Delaware BioScience Association (Delaware Bio) is a catalyst for bioscience innovation in Delaware. We serve pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, medical device manufacturers, agricultural biotech and chemical companies, research and testing companies, hospitals and medical institutions, academic partners and other organizations and companies that support them, with the goal of expanding our state’s vibrant science economy. Our more than 160 member companies and organizations are of every size, from global leaders to small start-ups, representing 11,000 innovation-based jobs vital to Delaware’s economic future.

Contact
Jamie Pedrick – Director, Marketing and Communications
Jamie.pedrick@delawarebio.org
410-920-2668