Ontario Genomics is made up of a dynamic and highly experienced team. Our staff brings deep expertise across the life sciences sector, with backgrounds in public and private sector research spanning academic settings, upstart biotechnology companies and major pharmaceutical corporations, finance and commercialization, bioethics, education and communications.
- Bettina Hamelin – President and CEO
- Camilo Acero – Coordinator, Digital Communications and Graphic Design
- Maggie Blood – Manager, Innovation Communications and Public Affairs
- Elaine Corbett – Director, Strategic Partnerships
- Michael Dorrington – Manager, Strategic Partnerships
- Liz Edmonds – Advisor, Sector Innovation & Programs
- Koula Ferreira – Administrative Assistant
- Elizabeth Gray – Director, Investment and Venture Development
- Britney Hess – Manager, Investment and Venture Development
- Christy Hockley – Project Manager, Research Operations
- Les Kondejewski – Director, Research Operations & Program Management
- Luana Langlois Fiorotto – Advisor, Strategic Partnerships
- Polina Martins – Director, Communications and Public Affairs
- Tian Nie – BioCreate Coordinator
- Yoo Jin Park – Manager, Sector Innovation & Programs
- Celia Pennimpede – BioCreate Project Coordinator
- Erum Razvi – Advisor, Sector Innovation & Programs
- Zoya Retiwalla – Advisor, Digital Communications and Science Education
- Laura Riley – Director, Sector Innovation and Programs
- Alex Senson – Advisor, Investment and Venture Development
- Omar Serrato – Project Coordinator
- Jordan Thomson – Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Programs
Dr. Bettina Hamelin, PharmD, EMBA
President and CEO
bhamelin@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6598
Bettina Hamelin, PharmD, EMBA is the President and CEO of Ontario Genomics, an Ontario-based not-for profit organization dedicated to catalyze and support the development of genomics-based technologies across multiple economic sectors for a genomics-driven bioeconomy.
Dr. Hamelin has over 30 years of experience in academia, industry, and not-for profit organizations. She has held positions of increasing responsibility in the biotech and pharma industries including leadership positions at BioChem Pharma (Associate Director, DMPK) and Pfizer (Head, Strategic Research Partnerships, Western Canada; Director Vaccines, Pfizer Canada; Medical Director, Pfizer Germany; Global Scout, Pfizer Inc.). Dr. Hamelin also has 10 years of academic research expertise as a tenured professor at Université Laval. Prior to her current role, she served as VP of NSERC’s Research Partnerships Directorate, where she was responsible for stimulating increased public/private sector collaboration and technology transfer by connecting the Canadian research enterprise to Canadian and global innovation partners.
Dr. Hamelin volunteers in the broader research and innovation community and serves on the Boards of Directors of IRICoR and the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC) , and has served as a Mentor for the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Matter Stream since 2020. Dr. Hamelin also chairs the National Engineering Biology Steering Committee and serves on Ontario’s COVID-19 Genomics Network Steering Committee.
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Camilo Acero
Coordinator, Digital Communications and Graphic Design
cacero@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6582
Camilo Acero joined Ontario Genomics in 2014. In his current role, he is responsible for implementing the organization’s digital strategy and supporting all internal and external communications content and design. Since joining Ontario Genomics, Camilo has implemented the development, launch, refresh and maintenance of the organization’s website, microsites and newsletters to support program execution, and information access, education, and engagement for all stakeholders.
Camilo has a bachelor’s degree in advertising and has worked in communications and marketing for fifteen years in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors in the US and Canada. Camilo brings his experience to Ontario Genomics to successfully implement communications strategies, marketing campaigns, branding, media planning, web maintenance, content management, social media strategies and event organization.
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Maggie Blood
Manager, Innovation Communications and Public Affairs
mblood@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6586
Maggie Blood joined the team in 2023 to help spread the word about all the fascinating projects Ontario Genomics has, is and will be working on, including the BioCreate Program.
After spending over a decade in radio news broadcasting in eastern Ontario and Toronto, Maggie applied those writing, research, relationship building and communications skills during a brief stint working behind the scenes in municipal politics before running the media relations operations at the Ontario Dental Association for nearly seven years.
Maggie earned her radio broadcast diploma from Humber College and has been taking Indigenous studies courses at the University of Alberta and University of Toronto in her spare time.
Elaine Corbett, Ph.D.
Director, Strategic Partnerships
ecorbett@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6569
Dr. Elaine Corbett joined Ontario Genomics in July 2014. In her current role, she is responsible for developing and leveraging strategic partnerships and common interests with provincial, national and international public and private sector organizations (industries, foundations, government departments, angel investors, VCs etc.), in order to enable Ontario Genomics’ strategic plan and support synergistic advancement of genomics solutions across Ontario’s priority bio-economic sectors.
Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, Elaine was a Project Manager at SQI Diagnostics, a Toronto-based biotech company, where she managed multidisciplinary programs for advanced microarray diagnostics. Previously, she was a Senior Field Application Scientist at Axela, a biotech company which develops diagnostic platforms and applications, where her focus was on client management, technical sales and product development.
She received her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Alberta and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Cell Biology Program at the Hospital for Sick Children. Elaine received her Honors BSc in Biomedical Science from University College Cork, Ireland.
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Michael Dorrington, Ph.D.
Manager, Strategic Partnerships
mdorrington@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6562
Dr. Michael Dorrington joined Ontario Genomics in 2020. In his current role, he supports the implementation of strategic initiatives to bring new genomic-derived solutions to Ontario’s key sectors. Mike helps build effective relationships by connecting, enabling and working with leading academics and diverse partners and partner organizations to advance collaborative investment opportunities. He is the main point of contact for several funded projects.
Before joining Ontario Genomics, Mike was a post-doctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Immune System Biology at the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases outside of Washington, DC. In this position, he studied the many roles of antiviral cytokines in inflammation and antibacterial immune responses using cutting-edge genomic and transcriptomic technologies. He was also a post-doctoral representative to the NIH’s Immunology Interest Group.
Mike has a Ph.D. in Infection & Immunity from McMaster University and a B.Sc. in Life Sciences from the University of British Columbia. During his Ph. D., he held the Canadian Thoracic Society/Canadian Lung Association Doctoral Studentship for which he helped develop novel mouse models of bacterial infection.
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Liz Edmonds, MSc
Advisor, Sector Innovation & Programs
ledmonds@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6593
Liz Edmonds joined Ontario Genomics in June 2022. In her current role, she supports the implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at bringing new genomic-derived solutions to Ontario’s key sectors. Liz helps build effective relationships by connecting, enabling and working with leading academics and diverse partners and partner organizations to advance collaborative investment opportunities, and she is the main point of contact for several funded projects.
Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, Liz was the Research Manager for the Drinking Water Research Group at the University of Toronto for over a decade, where she managed multidisciplinary research projects and developed genomic and proteomic assays to assess water treatment performance. Previously, she was a Molecular Biologist for a plant trait improvement biotech company and a Research Scientist for a drug design company.
Liz received her MSc in Structural Biology (NMR) from York University and a BScH in Biochemistry from Queen’s University.
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Koula Ferreira
Administrative Assistant
kferreira@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6592
Koula Ferreira joined Ontario Genomics in October 2015. She supports the Director of Administration in the day-to-day running of the Ontario Genomics office as well as assists the Director of Finance with the accounts payable/receivables. Koula’s prior work in the retail industry and recruitment/payroll services expanded her abilities in accounts payable, accounts receivable and collections. Koula has a HR certificate from George Brown College and has studied business administration.
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Elizabeth Gray, Ph.D.
Director, Investment and Venture Development
egray@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6594
Dr. Elizabeth Gray joined Ontario Genomics in 2023. In her current role, she provides leadership to a funding initiative aimed at supporting SMEs in health, cleantech and agri-food sectors seeking to commercialize genomics and engineering biology research and technologies, ultimately bringing innovative solutions to the Canadian and International markets.
Elizabeth brings 10 years of progressive leadership experience to this role, having worked in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, Elizabeth was a VP at a healthcare investment firm, DRI Capital. She also held progressive positions at Eli Lilly Canada, working in both the commercial and medical divisions. Notably, Elizabeth was the Medical Director, Neuroscience, where she built the medical team and launched products in the neuroscience portfolio, from regulatory submissions, to launch readiness and post launch activities. Elizabeth also worked at CCRM (Center for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine) and CAMH (Center for Addiction and Mental Health), where she evaluated early-stage technologies for their commercialization potential and participated in fund raising activities.
She received her PhD from the University of Toronto, Department of Molecular Genetics and focused on neuronal cell signaling. Her MSc is from McGill University, Department of Plant Science and focused on plant- microbial signaling, whereby she discovered a novel bacteriocin.
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Britney Hess, MMASc
Manager, Investment and Venture Development
bhess@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6581
Britney Hess joined Ontario Genomics in 2016. In her current role, she supports the implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at bringing new genomic-derived solutions to the Industrial Biotechnology and Natural Resource sectors. Britney helps build effective relationships by connecting, enabling and working with leading academics and diverse partners/partner organizations to advance collaborative investment opportunities, and she is the main point of contact for funded projects dedicated to the Industrial Biotechnology and Natural Resource sectors. Since joining Ontario Genomics, Britney has supported the development of numerous project business cases to successfully secure funding. She has also been instrumental in assisting with the planning and implementation of several strategic initiatives including stakeholder consultations in the development of Ontario Genomics’ Agriculture & Agri-Food Sector Strategy, and the launch and execution of the CanadaSynBio conferences.
Previously, Britney worked at Bioenterprise Corporation as a Junior Analyst in Agricultural Technologies. She performed needs-based-analysis and provided entrepreneurs with market, industry and competitor data specific to their innovative technology. She assisted with strategic relationship development, business plan evaluation, and the identification of public funding opportunities.
Britney earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Western Ontario. During her Master of Management of Applied Science (MMASc) she focused on an interdisciplinary approach to technology commercialization.
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Christy Hockley
Project Manager, Research Operations
chockley@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6584
Christy Hockley joined Ontario Genomics in September 2013. In her current role, she is responsible for coordinating and managing all research projects to ensure that projects stay on target and meet the timely execution and reporting needs of all stakeholders. Christy’s organizational skills, coupled with her work ethic are invaluable to the project team. She monitors and tracks scientific and financial reports, develops reports and reviews proposals for external and internal teams. Since joining Ontario Genomics, Christy has implemented many processes to alleviate administrative requirements for both research and industry project team members.
Previously, Christy was Administrative Coordinator of Bioscience Education Canada (BEC), where she was the point of contact for all regional coordinators on the Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada competition. She has also coordinated and supported administrative duties on projects including lectures, workshops, and the Lab Tools for Schools program. Prior to that, she worked at Experchem Laboratory Inc. as a pharmaceutical analyst. With over seven years of laboratory experience, she has worked extensively on gas chromatography, QA/QC, method development, and analytical testing.
Christy studied chemistry, biology, philosophy and abnormal psychology at Trent University and obtained a Diploma in Chemical Laboratory Technology – Pharmaceutical Co-op Program at Seneca College.
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Les Kondejewski, Ph.D.
Director, Research Operations & Program Management
lkondejewski@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6588
Dr. Les Kondejewski joined Ontario Genomics in April 2013. He is responsible for research operations and program management. His experience in management of cross-functional scientific teams, both in academia and industry, helps him to manage Ontario Genomics-funded programs, seek project investments, and monitor projects’ accountability and progress. Since joining Ontario Genomics, Les has identified and implemented numerous operational efficiencies to support the organization’s ability to manage more than a 300% increase in active projects while lowering costs and maintaining overhead.
Les has an extensive background in research and project management, particularly in personalized medicine. Previously, he held research and program management responsibilities at Caprion Proteomics. Later, at Diaceutics Inc., he worked with client teams to facilitate the creation of integrated development and commercialization plans for targeted therapies.
Les received his BSc from Carleton University and his PhD in biochemistry from Dalhousie University. He carried out postdoctoral research and a research fellowship at the Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence at the University of Alberta.
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Luana Langlois Fiorotto, MSc
Advisor, Strategic Partnerships
llanglois@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.7582
Luana Langlois Fiorotto joined Ontario Genomics in September of 2021. In her current role, she supports and facilitates the relationships among leading academic and industry partners, specifically in the wasteCANcreate waste upcycling consortium project. The goal of this consortium is to accelerate the development of engineering biology technologies for commercial applications and provide biologically produced test materials to various industry partners so they can incorporate them into their existing processes. Prior to this role, she played an indispensable role in organizing our annual Canada SynBio conference. Luana helps build effective relationships by connecting, enabling, and working with diverse stakeholders to foster innovation through collaborative partnerships.
Before joining Ontario Genomics, Luana championed the development of trainee-focused engineering biology initiatives, such as the Canadian iGEM network and the development of the Synthetic Biology degree program at her home institution, Western University.
Luana received her B.Sc. (Hons.) specializing in Genetics and Biochemistry and an M.Sc. in Microbiology and Immunology, both from Western University. Her graduate research focused on investigating sustainable microbial-based therapeutics for optimizing aquaculture practices.
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Polina Martins
Director, Communications and Public Affairs
pmartins@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6589
Polina Martins joined Ontario Genomics in 2019. In this role, she is responsible for leading and implementing the Ontario Genomics communications strategy, supporting government and stakeholder engagement priorities, and executing events and other public relations initiatives.
Previously, Polina served as Senior Communications and Operations Advisor to several Ontario Government Ministers in Economic Development and Growth, Health and Long-Term Care, and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation portfolios. She brings a unique blend of communications, government relations, stakeholder engagement, and events planning experience to this role.
Polina earned her Master of Arts degree at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.
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Tian Nie, Ph.D.
BioCreate Coordinator
tnie@OntarioGenomics.ca
Dr. Tian Nie joined Ontario Genomics in June 2023. In her current role, Tian provides support for the Initial Funding Phase and build up of the mentorship component of the BioCreate Program.
Previously, Tian worked as an intern in Research Commercialization in the Business Development & Innovation Team at the University of Melbourne. She supported biomedical researchers and the Business Development team in applying for investor funding, connecting with the pharmaceutical industries, and supporting start-up creation.
Tian received her Honours B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, and completed her Ph.D. studies with the Molecular Endocrinology and Musculoskeletal Research Group at the University of Melbourne.
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Yoo Jin Park, Ph.D.
Manager, Sector Innovation & Programs
yjpark@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6583
Dr. Yoo Jin Park joined Ontario Genomics in August 2020. In her current role, Yoo Jin supports the implementation of strategic initiatives that apply genomics-based solutions across Ontario’s key sectors to drive economic growth, improved quality of life, and global leadership. Working together with the leading academics and partner organizations, Yoo Jin acts as the main point of contact for several funded projects and is responsible for monitoring projects to assess their progress and maximize outcomes. Moreover, she helps to establish and build strong relationships with the key sector stakeholders from the industry, government and academia to source, secure and/or optimize co-funding for projects.
During her 10+ years in the biomedical research sector, Yoo Jin successfully led several projects across multiple therapeutic areas, including metabolism (obesity/diabetes), immuno-oncology, and cardiovascular diseases, resulting in high impact publications in peer-reviewed journals. Before joining Ontario Genomics, Yoo Jin worked as a Scientist at Sanofi Pasteur, where she was responsible for validating and improving the vaccine manufacturing and quality testing processes.
Yoo Jin received her B.Sc. in Honours Biotechnology and Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia, then completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network.
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Celia Pennimpede, MHSc, BSc
BioCreate Project Coordinator
cpennimpede@OntarioGenomics.ca
Celia Pennimpede joined Ontario Genomics in 2023. In this role Celia is responsible for all administrative aspects to ensure companies are supported throughout the lifecycle of the BioCreate Program, from initial investment to project closing.
Celia has an extensive background in Customer Success, and Project Management, serving as a Launch Coordinator at Lightspeed Commerce for 7 years. In this role, she led over 10 projects aimed to improve and automate internal and customer-facing processes. Additionally, she managed stakeholder and client relationships across Retail, eCommerce, and Hospitality sectors, utilizing organizational, critical problem-solving, and communication skills in her day-to-day work.
Celia completed her BSc in Biochemistry at McGill University in Montreal and received her MHSc in Medical Genomics from the University of Toronto.
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Erum Razvi, Ph.D.
Advisor, Sector Innovation & Programs
erazvi@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6587
Dr. Erum Razvi joined Ontario Genomics in January 2023. In her current role, Erum supports the implementation of strategic initiatives with the goal of applying genomics-based solutions to bolster key sectors of the Ontario economy. Erum is the main point of contact for funded projects and works with leading academics and partner organizations to advance funding, foster relationships, and enhance project outcomes.
During her 10+ years in the infectious disease space, Erum has experience in multidisciplinary areas such as drug discovery, carbohydrate chemistry, biophysical methods, and basic biology research leading to several high impact publications. Erum served as the Communications Officer and Chair for the GlycoNet Trainee Executive Committee where she wrote monthly newsletters, led a team of 7 scientists across Canada to understand and endorse the voices of trainees to key opinion leaders, established professional development opportunities, and advocated for infectious disease research alongside the Chief Science Advisor of Canada. Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, Erum was a postdoctoral fellow working on optimizing the isolation of bacterial exopolysaccharides.
Erum has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.
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Zoya Retiwalla, MSc, MHSc
Advisor, Digital Communications and Science Education
zretiwalla@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6599
Zoya Retiwalla joined Ontario Genomics is 2020. In her current role, she is responsible for developing and executing Ontario Genomics communications and marketing strategy and supporting sustainability through targeted stakeholder management. Zoya helps develop resources through mission-driven government partnerships. Additionally, she helps maximize the sustainable growth of Genome Canada and Ontario Genomics programs.
Before joining Ontario Genomics, Zoya worked as a communication, marketing, and recruitment coordinator at the TRP, University of Toronto. Zoya has also held a genetic data analyst and communications executive position at Jatropha Wellness. She honed her business & communications acumen as a partner at sustainable landscape solutions firm in Mumbai, Urban Gardens. During her graduate studies at the University of Mumbai, Zoya worked at NIRRH to develop a serological testing kit against Aspergillus fumigatus, a virulent fungus rampant in India. She brings a diverse mix of scientific and genomic knowledge, communications, stakeholder engagement, and business experience to her role at Ontario Genomics.
Zoya received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. Honours specializing in Biotechnology from the University of Mumbai and completed her research dissertation at the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, India. She recently earned her Masters of Health Science in Medical Genomics from the University of Toronto.
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Laura Riley, Ph.D.
Director, Sector Innovation and Programs
lriley@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6512
Dr. Laura Riley joined Ontario Genomics in 2019. In her current role, she supports the implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at bringing new genomic-derived solutions to Ontario’s key sectors. Laura helps build effective relationships by connecting, enabling and working with leading academics and diverse partners and partner organizations to advance collaborative investment opportunities, and she is the main point of contact for several funded projects.
Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, Laura worked as a project manager in Igor Stagljar’s lab in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. There, she managed a number of large research projects, including three from Genome Canada.
Laura has a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Liverpool, UK, and she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.
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Alex Senson
Advisor, Investment and Venture Development
asenson@OntarioGenomics.ca
Alex Senson joined Ontario Genomics in 2023. In his current role, he will be leading the BioCreate program’s initial funding phase while also supporting the development of the mentorship program to support companies as they seek to raise follow-on funding. He is the main point of contact for companies as they work through the BioCreate application and investment process.
Alex brings a strong business and scientific acumen to this role, having worked in the biopharmaceutical industry as well as the regional innovation and entrepreneurship network. Before joining Ontario Genomics, Alex was the Senior Business Strategist at Altitude Accelerator where he coached start-up founders and built processes and resources to support a wide range of unique technology ventures. Previously, he worked in both project management and business development capacities at YM BioSciences – a cancer therapeutics company which was acquired by Gilead Sciences in 2013.
Alex earned a Master of Biotechnology degree from the University of Toronto Mississauga, and a BSc in Biochemistry from McMaster University.
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Omar Serrato
Project Coordinator
oserrato@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6595
Omar Serrato joined Ontario Genomics in October 2022. He is responsible for supporting program management operations.
Prior to this role, Omar worked as a manufacturing technician at Microbix Biosystems Inc. During this engagement, he supported operations leading to the manufacturing of viral antigens and related materials for vaccine production and research.
Omar has also worked in educational publishing, with experience as an editor, and later, project manager at an educational media firm focused on the university-level science media space.
Omar received an Honours B.Sc. in Life Sciences from the University of Toronto, taking programs in Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science.
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Jordan Thomson, Ph.D.
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Programs
jthomson@OntarioGenomics.ca
416.673.6580
Dr. Jordan Thomson (PhD, Chemistry) brings over 13 years experience working in industry, non-profit and academic sectors. He possesses deep technical and business knowledge in the chemical and biotechnology industries coupled with experience in strategy, startup and business support, and R&D funding. As the Associate Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Resource Development at Ontario Genomics he builds strategic plans and partnership opportunities to advance the genomics & engineering biology ecosystem in Ontario and Canada, driving application of these technologies across key sectors of the economy. He also serves as a Board Member at GreenCentre Canada, a non-profit that accelerates the development of chemical and materials innovation, as well as a mentor with the Creative Destruction Lab.
Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, Jordan worked for DuPont as a Research Scientist leading projects in chemical process development and scale-up. He received his Bachelor’s degree in the Arts and Science programme at McMaster University and completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Toronto where he studied nanotechnology and synthetic chemistry.
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