Educational Outreach
As a student-led 501(c)(3) organization, a central part of our mission at Simplex is to educate students about the biotechnology industry and help connect academic learning with real-world applications. Through our annual speaker series and various outreach initiatives, we aim to inspire student innovation and entrepreneurship.
Speaker Event with Mark Mamula, PhD
March 2, 2024
The Simplex team hosted Mark Mamula, Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) at the Yale School of Medicine and CEO of TheraJan LLC. Mamula’s company aims to develop a canine cancer vaccine as a preventative against inoperable cancers. This event was held at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale.
Speaker Event with Craig Crews, PhD
April 27, 2023
The Simplex team hosted Craig Crews, Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Director of the Yale Center for Molecular Discovery. Crews is the founder of multiple startups, including Arvinas, Proteolix, and Siduma Therapeutics, and provided a unique perspective on bio-entrepreneurship. This event was held at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale.
Speaker Event with Anne Wyllie, PhD
March 29, 2022
The Simplex team was thrilled to host Yale School of Public Health researcher Anne Wyllie to discuss SalivaDirect™, a saliva-based PCR test for COVID-19. The great event at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale was the first part of our larger speaker series this spring highlighting perspectives on the scientific legacy of COVID-19. Read more about it in the Yale Daily News.
Speaker Event with Krystal Pollitt, PhD
April 5, 2022
The Simplex team hosted Yale School of Public Health assistant professor Krystal Pollitt to discuss her development of a passive air sampler clip for COVID-19. The event was held at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale.
Speaker Event with Mark Saltzman, PhD
April 7, 2022
The Simplex team hosted Yale University Biomedical Engineering professor Mark Saltzman to discuss his recent cofounding of Xanadu Bio, a nanoparticle delivery company developing intranasal vaccine boosters against COVID-19. The event was held at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale.
Speaker Event with Robert Bazell
April 19, 2022
The Simplex team hosted former five-time-Emmy-Award-winning NBC News chief science and health correspondent and current Yale University Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology adjunct professor Robert Bazell to discuss efforts to prevent and cure cancer. The event was held at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale.
Splash at Yale
October 4, 2025
Simplex hosted an Intro to Biotechnology class for students from New Haven Middle and High Schools as part of the Yale Splash Program.
Speaker Series with Jennifer Kwan, MD PhD
April 14, 2025
Dr. Kwan is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. She is a cardio-oncologist, a specialty that focuses on cardiovascular side effects caused by cancer treatment. Dr. Kwan is currently working on translational and big data research in cardio-oncology, to better understand those at risk for adverse cardiovascular effects with the goal of improving cardiovascular outcomes of cancer patients. She is also interested in scientific policy and advocacy. Her talk was titled “A physician scientist’s journey: at the intersection of medicine, science, discovery, entrepreneurship, and policy.”
Speaker Series with Sandy Chang, MD PhD
April 23, 2025
Sandy Chang is a member of Yale Med's MD and PhD admissions committees, is Professor of Laboratory Medicine, of Pathology and of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and is the Associate Director of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory. Additionally, he was the director of the STARS programs and was formerly the associate dean of STEM education at Yale. Dr. Chang’s research interests focus on how telomeres, protein/DNA structures at the ends of chromosomes, are properly maintained to protect chromosome ends from engaging a DNA damage response.
Speaker Series with Jesse Rinehart, PhD
April 24, 2025
Jesse Rinehart is the Associate Professor in the Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology at the Yale University School of Medicine with a joint appointment in the Yale Systems Biology Institute. Dr. Rinehart has led groundbreaking research in genetic code expansion by producing enabling technologies that have provided insights into human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and neurodegeneration. His technologies have been utilized by hundreds of academic labs world-wide as well as in biotech and pharma. He is currently on the scientific advisory board of Pearl Bio and a co-founder of Kapis Biosciences. Dr. Rinehart received his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and conducted postdoctoral training in Genetics at the Yale School of Medicine. His talk was titled “Translating translation: An unexpected journey from the genetic code to modern medicine.”
