Ph.D. candidate at the Centre for Systems Biology, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada Area
- Current
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- Occasional Guest Blogger at MaRS Blog
- Organizing Committee Member at Canadian Science Policy Conference
- Co-founder, administrator, and contributor at Science Canada Blog
- Senior Policy Editor at Hypothesis Journal
- Policy Advisor, Secretary, Chair of Research Committee, and member of Board of Directors at Canadian Secular Alliance
- Grant writer at Freethought Association of Canada
- Event Volunteer at Centre for Inquiry Ontario
- Ph.D. candidate at Centre for Systems Biology, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
- Past
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- Research Assistant at Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.
- Research Assistant at Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.
- Research Assistant at Health Canada
- Research Assistant at Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
- Research Assistant at Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
- Education
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- School of Hard Knocks
- School of Hard Knocks
- University of Toronto
- University of Guelph
- Connections
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64
connections
- Industry
- Biotechnology
- Websites
Jeff Sharom’s Summary
• soon-to-be PhD-holder with strong expertise in research, analysis, and project management.
• strong written communication skills from experience preparing a variety of documents: policy statements, position papers, briefing notes, press releases, formal letters, meeting minutes, grant proposals, and scientific manuscripts.
• strong oral communication skills from experience serving on a variety of boards and committees, and from presenting PowerPoint decks on a variety of topics (scientific research, public policy) to a variety of audiences (scientific researchers, government decision-makers, university officials, and the general public).
Jeff Sharom’s Experience
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Occasional Guest Blogger
MaRS Blog
(Biotechnology industry)
October 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)
• invited to write commentaries on science policy for MaRS – a non-profit organization focused on maximizing the economic and social impact of Canadian science and technology innovation, by fostering collaboration between academic science, business and capital
• Canada’s science policy takes centre stage in Toronto
http://blog.marsdd.com/2009/11/12/canada-science-policy-takes-centre-stage-in-toronto/
• Budget S&T draws mixed reviews
http://blog.marsdd.com/2009/02/03/budget-st-draws-mixed-reviews/
• Are we producing too many scientists?
http://blog.marsdd.com/2008/11/04/are-we-producing-too-many-scientists/
• The politicization of science in Canada
http://blog.marsdd.com/2008/10/16/the-politicization-of-science-in-canada/ -
Organizing Committee Member
Canadian Science Policy Conference
(Non-Profit; Public Policy industry)
September 2008 — Present (1 year 3 months)
• as part of an 18-member team of organizers, developed the aims and scope of Canada’s first in-depth, national-level, multi-sector, multi-disciplinary conference devoted to science policy (http://sciencepolicy.ca)
• drafted the conference’s 30-page Strategic Plan, including an environmental scan to identify a network of ~130 Canadian science policy stakeholders from the government, academic, industry, and non-profit sectors
• drafted a grant proposal to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) that was subsequently funded with the maximum award of $25,000
• prepared and presented PowerPoint decks to: the Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities; the Vice-President, Research, of the University of Toronto; and 2 general meetings of conference volunteers
• prepared formal correspondence for the Chair's signature (to CEOs, Presidents, Directors, etc)
• drafted press releases and conference announcements
• offered updates and input at 29 Organizing Committee meetings -
Co-founder, administrator, and contributor
Science Canada Blog
(Public Policy industry)
September 2008 — Present (1 year 3 months)
• with one co-founder, started a website tracking science policy in Canada’s political arena and media (http://sciencecanada.blogspot.com)
• posted links to ~3,500 press articles and editorials dealing with Canadian public policy in the realms of scientific research and innovation, health, energy, and the environment -
Senior Policy Editor
Hypothesis Journal
(Publishing industry)
June 2008 — Present (1 year 6 months)
• as part of an 8-member team of Senior Editors, handled the operations of Hypothesis – a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal run entirely by a volunteer editorial staff (http://www.hypothesisjournal.com)
• wrote the journal’s editorial policies on: authorship, conflicts of interest, peer review, editorial decisions, redundant publication, media relations, confidentiality, response to allegations of scientific misconduct, corrections & retractions, correspondence, editorial independence, access to data & materials, advertising, and human & animal research
• wrote the journal’s Copyright & License Agreement
• wrote the journal’s Instructions for Authors
• copy-edited 9 manuscripts
• coordinated the peer review of 2 manuscripts
• offered updates and input at 6 Editorial Board meetings -
Policy Advisor, Secretary, Chair of Research Committee, and member of Board of Directors
Canadian Secular Alliance
(Public Policy industry)
May 2008 — Present (1 year 7 months)
• as part of a 7-member senior executive, guided the research and publishing activities of the CSA – a public policy think-tank promoting church-state separation and the neutrality of government in matters of religion (http://www.secularalliance.ca)
• conducted inter-jurisdictional research; developed policy options & recommendations
• wrote 6 briefing notes and 6 policy position papers on a variety of topics, including: constitutional law, human rights law, charity law, education policy, and philosophy of science
• directed the activities of a 14-member ad-hoc committee of volunteer researchers
• archived and posted links to ~3,100 press articles and editorials dealing with Canadian public policy in the realm of religious freedom
• reviewed ~700 pages of secondary-school science education materials to evaluate their scientific rigour and consistency with Ontario Ministry of Education policy
• recorded and prepared minutes for 21 Board of Directors meetings
• prepared and presented a PowerPoint deck at the 2009 Centre for Inquiry Canada Annual General Meeting
• acted as administrator and moderator of a Canada-wide e-mail listserv
• handled ~75 information / membership inquiries from the public -
Grant writer
Freethought Association of Canada
(Public Policy industry)
May 2008 — Present (1 year 7 months)
• offered proposal-writing expertise to the FAC – a registered charitable organization promoting public education about critical thinking and scepticism (http://freethoughtassociation.ca)
• wrote 2 grant proposals for submission to external funding agencies
• offered updates and input at 17 Board of Directors meetings -
Event Volunteer
Centre for Inquiry Ontario
(Non-Profit; Think Tanks industry)
May 2008 — Present (1 year 7 months)
• volunteered to help run special events organized by the CFIO – a registered charitable organization promoting evidence-based inquiry into science, pseudoscience, medicine, and ethics (http://www.centerforinquiry.net/ontario)
• assisted in the set-up and operation of 13 public lectures on topics at the interface of science and society; performed various duties, including: introducing speakers; moderating Q&A periods with the audience; handling sale of tickets, books, and magazines; representing the organization in interactions with the public -
Ph.D. candidate
Centre for Systems Biology, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
(Biotechnology industry)
September 2002 — Present (7 years 3 months)
Mike Tyers' lab, Centre for Systems Biology, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital; and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Canada (http://www.mshri.on.ca/tyers)
• systematically mapped nutrient-sensing and growth-control pathways in the model organism S. cerevisiae by integrating genome-wide data on phenotypes, subcellular localization, transcript abundance, protein-protein interactions, DNA-protein interactions, and genetic interactions
• constructed a system for small-molecule control of protein function based on fusion to ligand-binding domains -
Research Assistant
Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.
(Pharmaceuticals industry)
January 2002 — May 2002 (5 months)
Apoptosis Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research, Kirkland, QC
• characterized the in-vitro protease activity of a newly-cloned caspase-12 homologue from rat against fluorogenic tetrapeptide and radiolabeled protein substrates
• produced a variety of recombinant human caspases for small-molecule screening assays and polyclonal antibody generation, via their high-level expression and purification from E. coli -
Research Assistant
Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.
(Public Company; Pharmaceuticals industry)
May 2001 — August 2001 (4 months)
Apoptosis Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research, Kirkland, QC
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Research Assistant
Health Canada
(Government Agency; Government Administration industry)
September 2000 — December 2000 (4 months)
Human Parvovirus B19 Group, Division of Blood-borne Pathogens, Health Canada, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Winnipeg, MB
• assisted in a yeast two-hybrid screen of a human cDNA library to identify novel protein interaction partners for the viral non-structural protein (NS1)
• studied the ability of transfected NS1 to induce apoptosis in human erythroid cell lines by assaying for DNA fragmentation and caspase activation -
Research Assistant
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
(Pharmaceuticals industry)
January 2000 — April 2000 (4 months)
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Bio-Méga Research Division, Laval, QC
• assisted in the bacterial expression and purification of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) for high-resolution X-ray crystallographic study, using FPLC and ion-exchange, gel filtration, and affinity chromatography
• performed high-throughput in-vitro enzymatic assays to identify small-molecule inhibitors of HIV-1 RT using the Biomek automated robotic workstation and scintillation proximity assay (SPA) technology -
Research Assistant
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
(Pharmaceuticals industry)
January 1999 — April 1999 (4 months)
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Bio-Méga Research Division, Laval, QC
• assisted in the optimization of an in-vitro assay to identify small-molecule inhibitors of the E1 helicase of human papillomavirus
• performed a variety of microplate-format ELISAs and protein-DNA binding assays to screen for inhibitors of other HPV enzymes
Jeff Sharom’s Education
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School of Hard Knocks
Self-directed Learner , Public Policy , 2009 — 2010 (expected)
• 2009 Canadian Science Policy Conference (2.5-day conference on science & innovation policy)
• HealthAchieve 2009 (2.5-day conference on health policy hosted by the Ontario Hospital Association)
• Celebrating Innovations in Health Care Expo 2009 (1-day expo on health policy hosted by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care)
• Public Policy 101 workshop series [2008-2009] (7.5-hour workshop series offered by the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation)
- What is public policy and why should we be bothered?
- Who's who in government
- How do we develop more effective public policy options? -
School of Hard Knocks
Self-directed Learner , Intellectual Property and Regulatory Affairs , 2008 — 2010 (expected)
• Research Commercialization Course [2008] (17.5 hours of webinars offered by the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer)
• 12 hours of seminars and hands-on workshops offered by Ogilvy Renault LLP [2008]
- How to Draft a Patent Application
- Life Science IP
- IP Strategies for Diagnostics
- IP Strategies for Therapeutics
- IP Strategies for Medical Devices
• Inventions Policy Workshop [2008] (2-hour seminar offered by University of Toronto Intellectual Property & Contracts)
• 3 hours of seminars offered by the Mount Sinai Hospital Office of Technology Transfer & Industrial Liaison
- Introduction to Technology Transfer
- Commercializing the Next Generation of Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics
• Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) Course [2008] (7-hour course offered by PharmEng Inc.)
• Navigating the Global Regulatory Path for New Drugs [2008] (2-hour seminar offered by CanReg Inc.) -
University of Toronto
Ph.D. , Molecular Genetics , 2002 — 2010 (expected)
• cumulative average: A+
• Terry Fox Foundation Research Studentship [2006-2008]
- one of 13 studentships of $47,000 awarded Canada-wide by the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) biomedical panel.
• NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-D) [2004-2006]
- one of 148 scholarships of $70,000 awarded Canada-wide by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) for pursuit of doctoral studies.
• NSERC Post-Graduate Scholarship A (PGS-A) [2002-2004]
- one of 626 scholarships of $34,600 awarded Canada-wide by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) for pursuit of masters studies.
• graduate-level courses (18-hour courses offered by the University of Toronto Department of Molecular Genetics):
- Functional Genomics & Proteomics
- Data Analysis Approaches in Functional Genomics & Proteomics
- Protein Structure
- Advanced Genetics
- Chromosome Structure and Mechanism -
University of Guelph
B.Sc. , Specialized Honours Co-op Biochemistry , 1997 — 2001
• cumulative average: 94.7%
• Governor General’s Academic Silver Medal [2002]
- awarded to the graduating student with the highest university-wide cumulative average of any student in any discipline.
Additional Information
Jeff Sharom’s Websites:
Jeff Sharom’s Groups:
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University of Toronto Alumni (5,000+) -
Toronto -
University of Toronto -
Toronto Entrepreneur Alliance -
American Society for Public Administration -
Biotech & Pharma Professionals Network -
Online Publishers Network -
Professionals in Pharmaceutical Industry and Biotech Industry -
Healthcare & Science Journalist -
eGov Community -
Publishing and editing professionals -
Science & Technology Media Professionals™ -
Science, Technology & Innovation Policy Professionals + Fellows -
Merck and Co. Network -
Government 2.0 -
The Biotechnology Initiative - TBI -
Life Science Professionals -
PhD Holders -
Authors, Writers, Publishers, Editors, and other Professionals -
University of Guelph Alumni -
Merck Alumni
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Science Writers -
Oncology -
Publishing Professionals Network -
Toronto Professionals -
Public Policy Network - International -
Boehringer Ingelheim Alumni -
Writing and Editing Professionals
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Systems Biology -
Toronto Open Networking -
Systems Biology for Medical Research -
Merck Employee Network -
Science 2.0 -
TorontoJobs.ca -
Health Network - MojaLink -
Merck -
Canadian Science Policy Conference -
Life Sciences Professional Network -
LifeSciences▫Pharma▫Healthcare▫ Innovation & Integration: Professional Network -
Freethinkers -
Biomedical Sciences -
Toronto Job Networking - Canada Jobs & Technology -
PhD Careers Outside of Academia -
Bioscience Job Network -
Institute of Public Administration of Canada/Institut d'Administration publique du Canada -
Job Openings, Job Leads and Job Connections! -
Torontonians Only -
People Living In Toronto -
Canada Jobs -
Torontonians Only Job Centre -
Pharmaceutical Jobs, Biotech, Life Sciences & Medical Devices -
Medical Writer & Editor Jobs -
Life Science Professionals of Canada -
Health Care, Bio, Pharma and Life Sciences -
Vestiigo: Top careers for young professionals
Jeff Sharom’s Honors:
OTHER SELECTED TRAINING
• 4 hours of online courses offered by CharityVillageCampus.com [2008] (accredited by Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) International)
- Proposal Writing
- Grantseeking
• 24 hours of courses offered by the University of Toronto Office of English Language and Writing Support [2003, 2008]
- Thesis Writing in the Life Sciences
- Writing Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Proposals
• Teaching Fundamentals Certificate [2008] (12-hour course offered by the University of Toronto Teaching Assistants’ Training Program)
• Leadership Skills for Graduate Students Workshop Series [2007] (12-hour interactive workshop series offered by University of Toronto Student Affairs)
- How to communicate effectively and resolve conflict in a group
- How to facilitate and co-ordinate a group
- Connecting leadership theory to practice
Jeff Sharom’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
