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Christy Hockley

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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.

Nicole Saliba

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Nicole Saliba is Manager, Stakeholder Relations and Governance at Ontario Genomics. She brings an extensive background in governance, legal operations, and stakeholder engagement, with experience across international NGOs, the private sector, and community development. Before joining Ontario Genomics, Nicole was Manager, Legal & Corporate Secretariat Services at Plan International Canada, where she worked closely with executive leadership and the Board of Directors to advance governance priorities and lead international delegations.

She is also deeply committed to community service, having led humanitarian campaigns in Syria that united volunteers and community partners to provide education and essential resources during times of crisis. These experiences shaped her collaborative approach and ability to manage complex projects across diverse groups. Drawn to Ontario Genomics’ unique role at the intersection of science, innovation, and society, Nicole is passionate about how strong governance and inclusive partnerships can turn bold ideas in health, agriculture, and the environment into lasting impact. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from Ontario Tech University and a Paralegal Diploma from Durham College.

Les Kondejewski

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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.

Reeda Mahmood

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Dr. Reeda Mahmood is the Manager, Fund Development and Grants at Ontario Genomics. In this role, she is focused on securing new revenue sources, developing strategic partnerships, and supporting the needs of biotech founders to fuel Ontario’s innovation ecosystem.

Reeda brings a unique perspective to this role, grounded in her experience as a scientist, past founder, and content creator. As a scientist, she’s gained deep technical expertise in the materials space and won her university’s gold medal for her PhD research. As a founder, she has built multiple ventures, including exploring commercialization pathways for next-generation solar cells. Separately, as a content creator, she built a following of 40k, leading to high-value partnerships with major brands, including Microsoft Canada, Logitech, and Walmart Canada.

Reeda completed her PhD in Materials Chemistry and BSc in Biomedical Sciences at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her PhD research focused on the development of light-responsive polymeric nanofiber films for applications such as solar cells and sensors.

Celia Pennimpede

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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 problemsolving, 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.

Laura Riley

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Dr. Laura Riley joined Ontario Genomics in 2019. In her current role she is responsible for leading and managing the Sector Innovation and Programs team activities.

Laura oversees and supports individual projects, develops, implements and executes funding competitions, and sources and secures project co-funding from key external partners. Laura is also involved in leading, developing and implementing impactful and comprehensive strategies across multiple sectors, including key initiatives in wastewater surveillance and in cellular agriculture.

At Ontario Genomics, Laura builds effective relationships by connecting, enabling and working with diverse partners and partner organizations to advance collaborative investment opportunities, and is the main point of contact for several funded projects and key stakeholders. Laura further supports Ontario Genomics as a certified member of the JHSC.

Laura has a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Liverpool, UK, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, Laura worked as a project manager in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, where she managed a number of large research projects.

James Sayre

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Hailing from Rothesay New Brunswick James is an east coaster through and through. While living in Halifax Nova Scotia from 2012-2022 James completed his bachelor’s degree in biology at Dalhousie University. James served with the Royal Canadian Naval Reserves as a Naval Communicator from 2010 – 2023. After completing his master’s degree in Medical Genomics from the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine James left the service to pursue a second career in genomics and science, which had been a life long goal.

James first joined Ontario Genomics January 2023 as a master’s practicum student working with the Research Operations team to revisit past funded projects through the GAPP program to gather follow-on social, economic, and technological impacts of these projects. Successfully completing his master’s project, James stayed post graduation and was brought onto the Strategic Partnerships team where he currently works.

James enjoys the multidisciplinary work happening at OG, engaging with a breadth of academic and industry experts to explore the possibilities that applied genomics can unlock for Ontario’s agricultural and food, health, and clean technology sectors.

Alex Senson

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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 and commercialize their innovative solutions. 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.

 

Hajer Shaker

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Hajer brings a unique combination of project management, scientific research, and regulatory affairs expertise to her role at Ontario Genomics. With a proven track record in managing projects from design to execution, she demonstrated strong leadership at iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) as Director of Dry Lab, guiding teams in the planning and execution of complex synthetic biology initiatives. At the Public Health Agency of Canada (Centre for Biosecurity), Hajer contributed to policy development on pathogen oversight and dual-use research, offering innovative perspectives that drove regulatory modernization. Hajer holds a Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Microbiology from the University of Guelph, where she developed a passion for advancing genomics through research and collaboration.