Dr. Elaine Corbett joined Ontario Genomics in July 2014. Currently, she is responsible for leading and managing the Strategic Partnership team. Elaine 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.) to enable Ontario Genomics’ strategic plan and support synergistic advancement of genomics and engineering biology solutions across Ontario’s priority bio-economic sectors. She has spearheaded strategic reports and partnership opportunities to advance the genomics and engineering biology ecosystem in Ontario and Canada, including driving key initiatives to support the cellular agriculture and biomanufacturing ecosystems more broadly.Elaine brings over 15 years of progressive leadership experience, working in industry, not-for-profit and academic sectors. Before 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.

Elaine received her Honors BSc in Biomedical Science from University College Cork, Ireland. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, where her work focused on the endoplasmic reticulum and the chaperones involved in protein folding and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Cell Biology Program at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, where her work focused on cell-mediated immunity and phagocytosis.

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.

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.

Farnaz joins Ontario Genomics from the Life Sciences team at Invest Ontario, the investment agency for the province of Ontario, where she led business development initiatives aimed at attracting foreign direct investment to the province and supporting local companies in scaling their operations.

Prior to this, Farnaz worked at RBCx, the tech banking arm of the Royal Bank of Canada, where she specialized in assisting early-stage life sciences companies with financing opportunities and connecting them to key ecosystem partners to help navigate challenges and drive growth. Earlier in her career, she worked at a management consultancy firm, providing strategic and advisory services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. She managed a range of projects, including clinical trial design, launch readiness, brand and franchise strategy, and stakeholder engagement, all aimed at helping pharmaceutical companies adapt to shifting market dynamics, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and achieve their business objectives.

Farnaz holds a Bachelor of Science and a PhD in Molecular Science from Toronto Metropolitan University. Her graduate research focused on chemotherapy delivery to cancer cells using novel delivery techniques.

Koula Ferreira joined Ontario Genomics in October 2015. She supports the Executive Office and the day-to-day running of the Ontario Genomics office as well as assists the Finance Deparment with the accounting processes. 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.

Britney Hess joined Ontario Genomics in 2016. In her current role, she manages OG’s investment portfolio and program which focuses on supporting companies that are commercializing genomics and engineering biology-based solutions. Britney supports the implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at bringing new genomic-derived solutions to the Industrial Biotechnology and Natural Resource sectors and she is the main point of contact for funded projects in these sectors. She has also been instrumental in assisting with the planning and implementation of several strategic initiatives including 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.

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.

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.