Cannabis Science and Technology Announces Editorial Advisory Board

Susan Audino, S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC

Bob Clifford, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments

Ashlee Gerardi, Restek Corporation

Jacklyn Green, Agate Biosciences

Zac Hildenbrand, Inform Environmental, LLC

Autumn Karcey, Cultivo, Inc.

Julie Kowalski, Trace Analytics

David (Dedi) Meiri, Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research, Technion Israel Institute of Technology

Kevin Schug, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington

Brian Smith, Big Sur Scientific

Katherine Stenerson, MilliporeSigma

Cannabis Science and Technology is pleased to announce the launch of its editorial advisory board (EAB). The distinguished members of the EAB will play a crucial role in defining the editorial direction and maintaining a high level of editorial quality and integrity.

The official charter of the advisory board for Cannabis Science and Technology is to support the publication in identifying the most significant developments in the cannabis science field, and in ensuring the relevance and technical accuracy of our content. In doing this work, board members support our mission to educate the legal cannabis industry about the science and technology of analytical testing and quality control. We are pleased to announce the following board members:

• Susan Audino, S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, is an analytical chemist and chemometrician. She consults for laboratories and regulatory bodies, is lead assessor and instructor for A2LA, and BOD member for Center for Research on Environmental Medicine. She chairs the AOAC Cannabis Advisory Panel and Working Group and is an Executive Committee member of ASTM Cannabis Division.
• Bob Clifford, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, received his bachelor’s degree from Glassboro State College, now Rowan University in New Jersey, his master’s degree from Villanova in Pennsylvania, and his PhD from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He has published and presented more than 125 papers in the fields of food, pharmaceutical, environmental, energy, geology, material science, photonics, and cannabis. His first chemistry job was as a summer intern at Campbell Soup Company where he was hired as a full-time employee. After he went back to graduate school he took another job as intern at the FDA where he was also hired as a full-time employee. After graduating with his PhD, he left the FDA for Shimadzu where he has worked for the last 26 years.
• Ashlee Gerardi, Restek Corporation, has worked at Restek for the past seven years as a quality control technician testing their gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) column product lines. Gerardi was promoted to a research and development chemist where she developed novel stationary phases and modified surface chemistries for Restek’s fused silica GC product line. In November 2018, she transitioned to the role of Restek’s Associate Business Development Manager for the cannabis market. Gerardi received her BS in chemistry at Lock Haven University in 2011 and completed her MBA in general management with a certificate in international business in October of 2018 from Plymouth State University.
• Jacklyn Green, Agate Biosciences, is a project manager, systems engineer, and scientist focused on today’s commercial cannabis enterprise.  She is the cofounder and chief executive officer of Agate Biosciences LLC, an agricultural consultancy.  She earned her PhD at The University of Texas in astronomy, and subsequently applied her big-picture view and systems approach to problem solving at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more than 25 years. In her tenure at NASA, she conducted detailed scientific research, managed complex projects and programs, and led teams of engineers and scientists to solve near impossible problems in a collaborative team setting. Now, she brings the best practices of management and systems engineering to cannabis businesses, enhancing their financial and technical success in today’s stringent government-regulated environment.
• Zac Hildenbrand, Inform Environmental, LLC, received his Bachelor of Science and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso, where he also played on the men’s intercollegiate golf team. Dr. Hildenbrand continued his training as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas where he worked on novel therapies for the treatment of blood-borne cancers. Dr. Hildenbrand is the principal founder of Inform Environmental, the chief technical officer of ZED Therapeutics, and sits on the scientific advisory board of the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation at the University of Texas at Arlington, the Light Engines Design Corporation (OTC:TLED), and Jacques Gen3, LLC. Dr. Hildenbrand’s research has produced more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles and textbook chapters. He was recently nominated for the Humanity in Science Award, which recognizes scientists for their altruism and innovation. Dr. Hildenbrand is focused on educating the general public about the scientific merits of cannabis, as well as developing new innovations with cannabis-based therapies. Dr. Hildenbrand enjoys new research challenges that carry deep social significance and he is driven to provide solutions and find more efficient treatments for those struggling with illness.
• Karan Kapoor, Avana Canada Inc., earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from Khalsa College, Guru Nanak Dev University in 2011, a Master's of Plant Breeding and Genetics from Punjab Agricultural University in 2014, and a Master's of Science (Plant Sciences) from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada in 2018. Kapoor’s technical and research expertise includes the ability to investigate, understand, and standardize agronomic needs of the crop plants growing under controlled conditions for yield enhancement; experience growing plants under different light quality conditions such as LED and high-pressure sodium bulbs; experience dealing with common insect/arachnid pests such as thrips, spider mites, and aphids under greenhouse conditions; and more. Kapoor has a strong understanding of the medicinal cannabis sector, as well as the trends and financial implications for producers, industry, and consumers.
• Autumn Karcey is the president of Cultivo, Inc., and takes a logical, consistent, and scientific approach when she designs cultivation facilities. She combines the use of modern clean room technology, state-of-the-art agricultural equipment, along with custom fabricated equipment, specialized irrigation, high-end security, and sensor systems to create world class facilities of enduring value.
• Julie Kowalski, Trace Analytics, is the Director of Science and Research at Trace Analytics (Spokane, Washington). She earned her graduate degree in analytical chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University. Her professional experience includes method development, troubleshooting, and educational training for gas and liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and tandem mass spectrometry as well as two-dimensional gas chromatography. She has expertise in various sample preparation techniques and method development. Before entering into the cannabis industry full time, most of her work related to chemical contaminants testing for the food safety market. She has previously served as the President of the North American Chemical Residue Workshop and served on two AOAC Expert Review Panels and is an active member of the AOAC Cannabis Working Group. 
• Sandy Mangan, SPEX SamplePrep LLC, is a business development and sales expert with more than 20 years of experience. She specializes in sample preparation equipment for industries such as biotechnology, plant biology, and food safety. In recent years, she has been focusing her expertise on the sample preparation of cannabis products. Mangan has worked with cannabis laboratories all over the United States, advising them on laboratory equipment suitable for their complex applications. She has developed protocols for pesticide extractions, potency, mycotoxins, and contamination applications. She has also worked with edible testing laboratories to help them prepare their samples and bud materials for testing. Her expertise in the sample preparation industry has made her a trusted resource in the cannabis Industry.
• David (Dedi) Meiri, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Biology and heads the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Technion Integrated Cancer Center. He holds an MSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in plant biotechnology from Tel Aviv University. Dr. Meiri conducted his postdoctoral fellowship at the Ontario Cancer Institute where he focused on the role of the GEF-H1 protein in tumor invasion and metastasis. Presently, his lab is investigating the therapeutic potential of phytocannabinoids.
• Kevin Schug is a professor and the Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).  He received his BS degree in Chemistry in 1998 from the College of William and Mary, and his PhD in chemistry from Virginia Tech in 2002 under the direction of Professor Harold M. McNair. From 2003–2005, he performed post-doctoral research at the University of Vienna in Austria with Professor Dr. Wolfgang Lindner. Since joining UTA in 2005, his research has been focused on the theory and application of separation science and mass spectrometry for solving a variety of analytical and physical chemistry problems in the fields of environmental, pharmaceutical, biological, and energy research. He has more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and over 400 presentations, posters, and invited talks to his group’s credit. He has been the primary mentor and research advisor to more than 20 graduate and 50 undergraduate students.  Dr. Schug has received several research awards, including the 2009 Emerging Leader Award in Chromatography by LCGC North America magazine and the 2013 American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Young Investigator in Separation Science Award. For his teaching, he received the 2014 University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, was named in 2016 as a Fellow of the University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers, and in 2017 was awarded the J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Analytical Chemistry Education by the American Chemical Society.
• Brian Smith, PhD, is Founder, CEO, and Chief Technical Officer of Big Sur Scientific in Capitola, California. Dr. Smith has more than 40 years of experience as an industrial analytical chemist having worked for such companies as Xerox, IBM, Waters Associates, and Princeton Instruments. For 20 years he ran Spectros Associates, an analytical chemistry training and consulting firm where he taught thousands of people around the world how to improve their chemical analyses. Dr. Smith has written three books on infrared spectroscopy, and earned his PhD in physical chemistry from Dartmouth College.
• Katherine Stenerson, MilliporeSigma, is a Principal Scientist in Workflow Development, at the life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada. Her current work involves developing workflow solutions for extraction and analysis to address problems related to analytical testing, with a focus on the areas of food & beverage, environmental, and cannabis testing. Prior to joining MilliporeSigma, Stenerson worked as an analytical chemist in the personal care products industry, and as a GC chemist and supervisor in the environmental testing industry. She is a member of the American Chemical Society, AOAC, and the Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley.

Please send any questions about our EAB or inquiries about joining to Meg L'Heureux, Editor-in-Chief, at meg.lheureux@ubm.com.