2024 PACS Officers and Councilors - Biographies

Noah Bissonnette - Past-Chair 2024

Noah Bissonnette was born in Long Beach, CA but grew up in Minnetonka, MN. He left the Midwest in pursuit of warmer winters and completed his B.S in Chemistry at Northeastern University. While at NEU, he performed research under Professor Rein Kirss studying the catalytic activity of piano stool ruthenium complexes. He also completed three internships throughout his undergraduate education. His first experience was at Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the Medicinal Chemistry department. While there, he was exposed to photoredox chemistry and leveraged it to develop a novel C-H functionalization protocol for common heterocyclic drug motifs. He next worked at Celgene where he enabled the synthesis of highly functionalized, saturated N-heterocycles though photoredox catalysis. He most recently worked at Merck where he applied photoredox systems to biology. Inspired by the power of blue light, he attended Princeton to pursue his Ph.D. under Professor David MacMillan and will graduate May 2025. Outside chemistry, Noah enjoys playing piano, completing Spartan Races and watching Netflix with a cold beer.

David Jones - Chair 2024

David Jones is currently Vice President of Business Development at Sannova Analytical LLC, a contract research organization (CRO) serving the pharmaceutical industry with bioanalytical and analytical services.   In his current position he advises potential and current sponsors on choosing appropriate analytical approaches to support developmental efforts for both small molecule and large molecule programs for the treatment of human disease.    After completing his education at SUNY Stony Brook, he worked on the production of original ligand binding assays, radioimmunoassay, (RIA) for Diagnostic Products, now part of Siemens, and then moved to the technology development company, Bioresearch, where he worked on the synthesis of a series urethane protected N-carboxyanhydrides, (UNCAs) novel reagents for fast, clean peptide synthesis.   He was then recruited to work at Immunopharmaceutics, now part of Pfizer, where he contributed to the early development of Sitaxentan, an endothelin antagonist.   He was then recruited by MPS/Houghten Pharmaceuticals to manage a laboratory producing some of the earliest examples of peptide libraries.    Subsequently he was recruited to take a business development role by SNPE/Isochem, a French fine chemical company which had licensed the UNCA technology.   In this capacity, he helped pharmaceutical companies coordinate the acquisition and use for developing and commercializing the protease inhibitors Saquinavir, Nelfinavir, the CMV treatment Valganciclovir, which is synthesized using UNCA technology, as well as assisting on commercial development of reagents for the total synthesis of the anti-neoplastic natural product Irinotecan, among many other programs.    He then took business development roles in analytical chemistry beginning at the CRO Frontage Labs, Primera, and finally, for the last 8 years, Sannova Analytical.   His non-professional interests include environmental chemistry, focusing on the chemistry of used nuclear fuels to support approaches addressing climate change.

Jose Roque - Chair-Elect 2024

Jose Roque was born in Havana, Cuba, and obtained his B.S. degree in chemistry in 2015 from Florida International University. During his undergraduate studies, he worked with Prof. Kevin O’Shea on the synthetic applications of photochemically produced singlet oxygen. In 2020, he earned his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, under the guidance of Richmond Sarpong. His doctoral research focused on complex molecule synthesis and the development of skeletal editing strategies.

Following his doctoral studies, Roque joined Princeton University as a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, working with Prof. Paul Chirik on electronically-controlled C–H activation. He continued his academic journey at Princeton University and launched his independent career as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, specializing in the catalysis and synthesis subfield.

Allen Jones – Secretary 2024

Allen N. Jones received his B.S. in chemistry from Elizabethtown College and his Ph.D. from the State University of New York in Buffalo, NY. He started his career working for the Veterans Administration in Nuclear Medicine Research, then at the UConn Medical School. Most of his career was at Merck where he contributed to the development of a number of pharmaceuticals. He has worked with YourEncore as a Network Expert, as an Adjunct Professor in Chemistry at Rowan University, as an adjunct professor in Medicinal Chemistry at Rutgers, at Roche as a Pharmacokinetics Study Manager, at Alliance Technologies as a Senior Chemist, and with Liquid Light as an Analytical Group Leader. He is currently employed by the Newark Board of Education as Director of their Students 2 Science ISAAC Program.

Allen has been a member of the ACS for over 35 years. He has served as Chair of the North Jersey Drug Metabolism Discussion Group; Secretary, Treasurer, and Chair of the North Jersey Mass Spec Discussion Group: Awards Chair for the Delaware Valley Mass Spectrometry Discussion Group, Judge for the Chemistry Olympics at NJIT, and received a “Salutes to Excellence” from the North Jersey ACS. He has been a member of the Princeton Section since 2008. With PACS, he has held the positions of Chair and Councilor, helped with National Chemistry Week, and been a member of the ACS Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs (CEPA).  He is currently a volunteer Career Consultant and workshop presenter with the ACS.

David Carrick - Treasurer 2024

David Carrick is an Analytical Chemist with over forty years experience in the areas of Human and Veterinary Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Products, Agricultural Chemicals, Catalysis, BioFuels, and consulting. He received his BS in Chemistry from Lafayette College and his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Lehigh University. Over his career, he has held positions of increasing responsibility at American Cyanamid, J&J, Pharmaceutical Formulations Inc, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and Lloyd Pharmaceuticals, among others. In conjunction with Libra Labs, Dr. Carrick has provided consulting services in the areas of Analytical and Process Development, Instrument Validation, Quality Systems, and Laboratory Training. He is currently the Director of Scientific Affairs and Laboratory Services at Accord Import Export Solutions. He has been a section member since 2000 serving as 2009 Section Chair, Treasurer since 2012, and an active volunteer in section programs including Chemagination judging, and outreach.   Dr. Carrick is an avid orchid grower and beekeeper.

Mukund Chorghade - Member-at-Large (2023-2025)

Mukund Chorghade is a serial entrepreneur and Founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer, THINQ Pharma and Ayurvidya Healthcare Innovations. He was elected Foreign Fellow National Academy of Sciences, India, in 2023 and was awarded a D.Sc. by the University of Mumbai in 2021. He earned B. Sc. / M. Sc. degrees from the University of Poona, India, and a Ph. D. from Georgetown University. After postdoctoral research at the University of Virginia and Harvard University, he directed research groups at Dow, Abbott, CytoMed and Genzyme. He holds/held Adjunct Research Professor/Visiting Fellow/ Visiting Scientist appointments at Caltech, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Northwestern, Princeton, Rutgers, Univ. of Chicago, School of Medicine-University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA), University of British Columbia (Canada), Cambridge, Leeds, Strathclyde, (UK), College de France, Universite’ Louis Pasteur (France), Universities of Mumbai, Poona, ICT, CSIR, KHRC, Dr. Reddy’s Institute of Life Sciences (India). He serves as a Chief Scientific Advisor, Late Prin. B.V. Bhide Foundation and is on the Scientific Advisory Board of corporations/foundations such as BVG Life Sciences, Empiriko, HSvj, YewSavin, World Innovation, Health Sciences Collegium. He is a Faculty of Eminence on the International Advisory Board of Studies at Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research. He officiates for the Molecular Maker Laboratory Institute Education and Workforce Development Advisory Board, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Elected Fellow of the Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana Academies of Sciences and a recipient of three Scientist of the Year awards, he is a featured speaker in international symposia, serves on Editorial Advisory Boards of Journals and is active in professional societies. An American Chemical Society Fellow, he was Section Chair of Brazoria (1990), Northeastern (2007) and Princeton (2019). He participates in ACS’ Career Services / Professional Development/Entrepreneurship and Small Chemicals Businesses. He was Secretary, Division of Chemistry Human Health of IUPAC and worked on Commissions on Biotechnology, Medicinal Chemistry, and US National Committee. As Chair, RSC Committee on Process Chemistry and Technology (2018-20) he expanded its geographical and scientific boundaries. An expert in patent litigation and a Certified CGLP / cGMP professional, his synthetic chemistry, process and pharmaceutical development expertise has transformed academic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and engineered innovation/ strategic collaborations. His research interests are in Drug Discovery / Development, Process Chemistry Derived Medicinal Chemistry, Traditional Indian Medicine. The “Chorghade-Dolphin” sterically protected and electronically activated metalloporphyrin catalysts (“chemosynthetic livers”) find utility in drug metabolism, valorization of biomass and environmental remediation.

Randy Weintraub - Member-at-Large (2024-2026)

Randy Weintraub teaches chemistry and environmental science and leads students in their environmental sustainability research projects at Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science, a STEM-based independent high school in Princeton. Randy is also an adjunct instructor at Rowan College at Burlington County and Mercer County Community Colleges teaching chemistry and nutrition courses. Before being a full-time educator Randy’s career was as a scientific and organizational leader in agricultural and pharmaceutical products R&D. Randy earned his MS and PhD degrees from the University of Florida, Food Science, Nutrition and Environmental Chemistry departments. 
 
Randy’s been an active American Chemical Society member and volunteer since 1983, serving on the Agrochemicals Division Executive Committee, membership subcommittee 2001 - 2006, and on the Princeton ACS Local Section (PACS) Executive Committee as Chair in 2011 and Secretary 2014 – 2020, head of judges for the PACS’ high school competition, ‘Chemagination’, since 2012 and co-organizing PACS ‘Science Café’ series since 2015. Randy also participated in PACS’ Strategic Planning Retreat in 2019. He is currently a PACS Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee. His other special interests in public service include climate and environmental sustainability outreach including work as a ‘Climate Ambassador’.

Louise Lawter – Councilor (2024-2026)

Louise Lawter has represented the Princeton Section as Councilor since 2008. She served on the ACS Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs (CEPA) as a subcommittee and then committee Chair and on the ACS Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC) as a subcommittee chair supporting ‘in need’ local sections.  In 2022, she was elected by the ACS Council to the Committee on Council Policy which serves as the Executive Committee of the Council and is currently a member of the its Future Council Representation Task Force.

Louise served as 2005 Chair of the Princeton Section (Chair-elect 2004, Past-Chair 2006).  She chaired PACS Chemagination from 2006-2011 and currently chairs the Princeton Alyea Awards, the Trenton and Princeton Sections’ Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher Awards, and the National Chemistry Week Illustrated Poem Contest. She has been editor of the PACS newsletter, ALI ”QUOTES” since 2006. On the regional level she is the PACS representative to the MARM Executive Board and member of its Website Subcommittee. She has chaired the ACS Middle Atlantic Regional Chemagination (MARM) Competition since 2010.

Professionally, she has held technical and managerial positions in the flavor & fragrance industry, most recently as Technical Director, Americas for Degussa, Inc. where she oversaw their Flavor & Fragrance R&D efforts in the US, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. She is currently retired. In 2018 Louise was named an ACS Fellow, recognized for her achievements and contributions to science, the profession, and the ACS.

She received a BS in Chemistry from UMass, Dartmouth, and did graduate work in organic chemistry at Boston College.

Barbara Ameer – Alternate Councilor (2024-2026)

Barbara Ameer has been a drug development and pharmacology consultant in Princeton Junction, NJ and adjunct faculty member at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School since 2005. Prior to this, she was Research Associate Professor at Rutgers Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

A registered pharmacist, she earned professional doctorate and undergraduate degrees in pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Connecticut (University Scholars Program). She pursued an MBA at Rutgers to complement her science knowledge with coursework and projects involving management, business strategy, and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Ameer authored original research manuscripts, reviews, commentaries, and book chapters in peer-reviewed pharmacology, chemistry, pharmacy, and medical publications, including a highly-cited Web of Science journal article. She reviews for pharmacology and medical journals, serving on editorial boards. An honorary regent, fellow, and past treasurer of American College of Clinical Pharmacology, she received its salute to excellence and distinguished service awards.

An active ACS member, Barbara presented work in ACS divisions of education, agrochemicals, and medicinal chemistry and serves national ACS on a public relations and communications committee. Locally, she is a program speaker on topics in medicine and career paths for scientists. In Princeton Section governance, Barbara’s roles include Secretary (2011-2013), Chair succession (2014-2016), Alternate Councilor (2017-ongoing), Strategic Planning Committee (2019) and Chemagination Chair (2011-ongoing). Barbara draws inspiration from engaging the broader Princeton community in science that matters to them. Through events that she led or co-led and coordinated as project manager, the Princeton Section gained national recognition as ChemLuminary finalist numerous times, with the two most recent nominations awarded national winners in their category.