Sydney is a passionate and results-driven scientist with extensive experience in drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and synthetic organic chemistry. With a strong desire to apply her unique background, she combines her scientific expertise, regulatory knowledge, and business acumen to solve complex problems.
Prior to joining Venebio, Sydney worked as a scientific and clinical expert at a boutique regulatory advisory group. In this position she played an instrumental role in the development of regulatory strategies and preparation of regulatory submissions across diverse therapeutic areas.
Previously she worked in the Valery V. Fokin Lab at the University of Southern California, where she synthesized novel cannabinoid type II receptor (CB2) antagonists using SuFEx chemistry. This multidisciplinary collaborative effort resulted in a novel pathway to explore unknown chemical spaces aiding in the discovery of drug-like compounds. She also contributed to the optimization of SuFEx conditions for heterocyclic compounds that serve as molecular scaffolds in drug design such as selectively functionalized triazoles and played a key role in the development of novel isoxazole formation conditions allowing for the synthesis of selectively functionalized isoxazoles. Prior to her work at USC, Sydney conducted research in the Raphael Mechoulam Lab at Hebrew University where she was responsible for the extraction and purification of natural products from the Cannabis Sativa plant including cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). These compounds were then modified using synthetic techniques to generate lead compounds in drug discovery with therapeutic areas ranging from epilepsy to TBI. She also worked in the Nadrian Seeman Lab at New York University. Her research utilized Structural DNA Nanotechnology approaches to create DNA structures capable of self-assembly.
Sydney holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Judaic Studies from New York University. Sydney remains committed to fostering diversity and mentorship in STEM through engagement with organizations such as Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) and Women in Chemistry (WiC). She has also completed additional graduate coursework in business, law, and medicine at USC.
