Karen Eaton, PhD

Karen Eaton, PhD has an extensive work experience spanning from 2005 to 2022. Karen began their career as a Lab Manager/Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Arizona Biomedical Engineering's Tissue Optics Lab, where they performed routine clinical skin cancer screenings with a portable optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, and assisted with OCT- and histology-based ovarian and colon cancer studies in rats. Karen then moved on to the University of Arizona Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as a BS/MS Graduate Researcher in the Protein Evolution Lab, where they performed mutational studies and structural analysis on two Cro proteins using circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In 2009, they became a MS Graduate Intern at Ventana Medical Systems, where they aided in the development of a diagnostic medical kit that tested for a TMPRSS2:ERG gene translocation in the event of prostate cancer. Karen then held the role of Co-Founder & CEO at Sigma Genetics, Inc from 2016 to 2017, followed by Product Manager at Jubel and CEO & President at Keatonium Consulting in 2016. In 2018, they became a Program Manager at Arzeda, and in 2022 they took on the role of Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund.

Karen Eaton, PhD completed their education history with a Winter 2017 Batch from Y Combinator. Prior to this, they earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Bioengineering from the University of Washington between 2010 and 2015. During this time, they also obtained an MBA Entrepreneurship Certificate from the University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business with a focus on Biotechnology Commercialization. In 2009-2010, they received a Master of Science (MS) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Arizona. Karen began their education journey in 2005, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics; Molecular & Cellular Biology; Mathematics from the University of Arizona in 2009.