Kunjan Desai

Kunjan Desai, PhD, has a significant amount of work experience in the field of cell and gene therapy process development. Kunjan most recently worked as the Director of Drug Product Process Development at Sana Biotechnology, Inc. starting in August 2023. Prior to that, they held various roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific, including R&D Manager and Staff Scientist, specializing in cell and gene therapy platforms. From 2020 to 2021, they served as a Senior Scientist in Process Development at Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. Before that, they worked at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine as a Staff Scientist and Research Associate, leading projects in cell and gene therapy translation and process development. Kunjan also has experience in clinical manufacturing, having worked at the University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) as a Research Associate and Postdoctoral Fellow, respectively. Additionally, they have contributed to research projects as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Georgia Regents University and Linköping University Hospital. Kunjan obtained their PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Bedfordshire and has experience as a Research Demonstrator and Technical Officer at the University of Hertfordshire.

Kunjan Desai PhD obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Cryobiology from the University of Bedfordshire between 2009 and 2012. Prior to that, they completed an M.Sc. by research in Tuberculosis immunology and Cytokine Biology from the University of Hertfordshire from 2005 to 2007. Kunjan'sundergraduate education includes a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Zoology from Bangalore University, which they completed from 2002 to 2005. In addition to their formal education, Kunjan Desai holds Regulatory Affairs Certificates in Pharmaceuticals from the Regulatory Affairs Certification Program and the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS), both obtained in 2018.