Rob Carpenter PhD, MBA

Co-founder and CEO

Rob is a healthcare entrepreneur and educator with over 25 years’ experience in developing, managing, and assimilating healthcare companies. He is distinctly skilled in business development, change integration, and various business growth strategies. Rob is also the founder and current CEO of Advanta Genetics, a highly complex CLIA laboratory accredited by the College of American Pathologists specializing in infectious disease molecular testing and next generation sequencing technology.

Rob holds an M.B.A. in healthcare administration and a Ph.D. in organizational development and change from the University of Texas at Tyler Soules College of Business, where he was honored to be the recipient of the “Graduate of the Decade” award. Presently, he serves as both Graduate Research Faculty and Executive in Residence at the Soules College of Business where he likewise enjoys teaching Ph.D. students. Rob currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Soules College of Business, the Hibbs Institute for Business & Economic Research, and the Stewardship Council for the University of Texas at Tyler Entrepreneurship Launchpad.

Although Rob’s principal focus is on the healthcare business sector, in addition to his executive and academic positions, he frequently conducts research in the social and physical sciences with many peer reviewed journal and book chapter publications in each discipline.

Rahul Sharma PhD, HCLD (ABB)

Co-founder and CSO

Dr. Sharma is a board-certified laboratory director and technical lead for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and PCR-based assay development and clinical testing. He has led CAP/CLIA laboratory testing ~10000 clinical specimens/year by NGS.

He has Former to joining the for-profit biotech industry, he served as Head Molecular Biology at the National Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) Program (NHDP), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). His research findings are being used by national agencies (DHH, CDC) to issue recommendations in the field of leprosy.

He has established several Molecular Pathology laboratories, developed multiple Molecular Diagnosis tests, and translated them into clinical testing. Dr. Sharma has authored more than thirty publications and 3 patents. He obtained his Ph.D. from Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) with a research focus on Microbial Genomics.

Sadia Almas, MSc, Ph.D.

Chief Innovation Officer

Dr. Sadia Almas boasts 15 years of research experience in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Genetics, positioning her as a seasoned scientific leader. Her research primarily centers on the development, optimization, and implementation of new assays in clinical settings. Notably, her modified low-cost COVIDSeq protocol for decentralized whole genome surveillance earned recognition from the CDC. Dr. Almas has also pioneered precision Metagenomics Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) testing for UTI and respiratory infections, demonstrating the analytical superiority of Metagenomics over traditional microbiological and molecular biological methods.

Her efforts are dedicated to advancing molecular diagnosis in decentralized clinical laboratories by innovating technologies for infectious disease diagnosis. In her role at Scienetix, Dr. Almas oversees the strategy, direction, and execution of new assays and product development. Under her leadership, Scientix’s multidisciplinary programs encompass Research and Development, technology integration into clinical laboratory operations, and both research and clinical development. This includes a range of techniques such as conventional microbiological testing, high multiplex PCR, direct-to-PCR assays, and NGS, all contributing to the progress of infectious disease diagnosis.

Nivedita Tiwari, Ph.D.

Principal Research Scientist

Dr. Nivedita Tiwari, Ph.D., is an accomplished scientist with a remarkable 12-year journey marked by extensive research in the realm of Molecular and Cellular Biology. She brings a wealth of expertise to the biotech industry, boasting a distinguished track record of impactful publications in renowned journals such as Science Translational Medicine, the Journal of Pathology, the Journal of Virology, etc. Her outstanding contributions have earned her the esteemed American Heart Association Research Fellow Award. Dr. Tiwari's broad-ranging expertise encompasses the study of infectious and non-infectious diseases, with a particular emphasis on lung diseases. Her work includes in-depth investigations into viral respiratory infections, such as COVID-19, H1N1, Tuberculosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. In her role as a senior research scientist at Novavax, she led a safety surveillance team for a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine project. This position leveraged her scientific acumen to drive the development of clinical research projects and commercial initiatives for vaccine and molecular assays, along with laboratory workflows.

During her tenure as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at The University of Texas Health Science Center, Dr. Tiwari's research in lung injury and tuberculosis infection demonstrated her profound knowledge and hands-on experience in immunological studies, multicolor flow cytometry, and metabolic functional assays. Dr. Tiwari's impressive academic background includes a Ph.D. in Biotechnology (Virology and Immunology) from the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in India. Her diverse skill set spans a wide spectrum, including cell culture, immunology, metabolomics, next-gen sequencing, molecular biology, cell biology, BSL3 laboratory work, and data analysis and visualization. Armed with a solid foundation in laboratory techniques and advanced assay development, Dr. Tiwari has presented her research findings at various national and international conferences. Her unwavering commitment to scientific advancement and outstanding contributions firmly establish her as a prominent figure in the biotech industry.