Dr. Reeda Mahmood is the Manager, Brand & Strategic Initiatives at Ontario Genomics. In this role, she is focused on building the organization’s brand and executing its communications strategy. She also supports government affairs, developing proposals that make the case for biotech investment in Ontario.

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 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.

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.

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 joined Ontario Genomics in 2023. As Senior Advisor, Research Operations and Program Management, he supports the operations behind Ontario Genomics’ research portfolio: funding agreements, reporting to funders, portfolio tracking, performance metrics and project oversight. He is also carrying what the BioCreate program proved out into Ontario Genomics’ programs more broadly, harmonizing how applications are assessed and how outcomes are measured, and applying AI and automation to reduce the administrative work that sits between program teams and the projects they support.

Alex brings a strong business and scientific acumen to this work, having worked in the biopharmaceutical industry as well as the regional innovation and entrepreneurship network. He led the investment phase of BioCreate, an $11.6M accelerator funded by Ontario Genomics and the Government of Canada through FedDev Ontario, and built the program’s reporting and metrics processes. Its 32 funded companies have since secured more than $100M in follow-on funding. 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.

Alex earned a Master of Biotechnology degree from the University of Toronto Mississauga, and a BSc in Biochemistry from McMaster University.

Hajer brings a multidisciplinary background spanning business development, scientific research and policy to Ontario Genomics. In her current role, she supports initiatives focused on developing new revenue sources, strategic partnerships and advancing initiatives that strengthen Canada’s life sciences and innovation ecosystem. Having worked across government, academia, and the non-profit sector, she brings a cross-sector perspective to translating scientific innovation into meaningful economic and societal impact.

Her experience includes serving as Director of Dry Lab with iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine), where she now serves as an Advisor, as well as contributing to policy development on pathogen oversight and dual-use research at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Centre for Biosecurity. Hajer holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Microbiology from the University of Guelph.

Hajer is passionate about bridging capital and impact, supporting the commercialization of Canadian life-science innovations, and helping create an ecosystem where Canadian innovators have the resources, connections, and opportunities to build, scale, and thrive in Canada.