Melissa Alara Korkmaz Vaisys, PhD
About Melissa Alara Korkmaz Vaisys, PhD
Melissa Alara Korkmaz Vaisys, PhD, is a Scientist I in Medicinal Chemistry at LifeMine Therapeutics, specializing in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. She has a comprehensive background in drug discovery, having held various research positions and internships across multiple institutions.
Current Role at LifeMine Therapeutics
Melissa Alara Korkmaz Vaisys serves as Scientist I in Medicinal Chemistry at LifeMine Therapeutics, a position she has held since 2021. In this role, she focuses on drug discovery and development, applying her expertise in medicinal chemistry to enhance pharmaceutical efficacy. Her work involves optimizing drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties, which are essential for creating effective therapeutic agents.
Previous Experience in Medicinal Chemistry
Prior to her current role, Melissa gained extensive experience in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. She worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery from 2020 to 2021. Additionally, she served as a Doctoral Research Assistant at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 2015 to 2020, where she contributed to various research projects in the field.
Educational Background and Specialization
Melissa holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she studied from 2015 to 2020. She also earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 2011 to 2015. Furthermore, she completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Drug Discovery and Medicinal Chemistry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine from 2020 to 2021.
Technical Skills and Research Expertise
Melissa possesses advanced technical skills in various analytical techniques essential for medicinal chemistry research. She is proficient in reverse-phase HPLC, LC-MS/MS, and NMR. Her expertise extends to high-content screening, structure-activity relationship analysis, and optimizing cell-based assays, which are critical in the drug discovery process. Additionally, she has experience in designing and synthesizing diverse small-molecule libraries.
Internship and Research Assistant Roles
Throughout her career, Melissa has held several internships and research assistant positions that have enriched her experience in the field. She worked as a Patient Registry Intern at The DADA2 Foundation for three months in 2021 and as a Small Market/Rural Health Intern at the American Heart Association in 2020. Her earlier roles include research assistant positions at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System and Beckman Institute.