Dervla T Isaac, Ph.D.

Dervla T Isaac, Ph.D. has a diverse work experience in the field of biology and medicine. In 2002, they started their career as a Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). During this time, they conducted a large-scale genetic screen and identified previously unknown virulence factors in H. capsulatum. Dervla T also studied the function of a secreted fungal virulence protein that induced immune and transcriptional responses in host macrophages.

From 2011 to 2018, Dervla worked as a Research Associate and Postdoctoral Researcher at Tufts University School of Medicine. Here, they designed and executed various cell culture screens, including a qRT-PCR-based screen to study microbial responses to macrophages and a FACS-based mammalian CRISPR screen to identify immune cell proteins involved in bacterial nutrient acquisition.

In 2014, Dervla held a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Tufts University School of Medicine.

Their industry experience includes working at Kintai Therapeutics from 2018 to 2020, where they contributed to the development of in vitro immune assays and led a cross-functional team in establishing an immuno-oncology platform program. At Pyxis Oncology, they held roles as a Senior Scientist from 2020 to 2021, and later as a Principal Scientist from 2021 to 2022.

Currently, Dervla works at Ribon Therapeutics as an Associate Director of Discovery Biology, starting in 2022.

Dervla T Isaac, Ph.D. received their Bachelor's Degree in Biochemical Sciences, cum laude, from Harvard University, where they studied from 1998 to 2002. Dervla T then pursued their Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, San Francisco, from 2002 to 2009. Prior to their undergraduate studies, Dervla completed their High School education at Bronx High School of Science from 1994 to 1998.