We continue to expand CIRM’s world‑class team to advance the promise of regenerative medicine in California and beyond.
Since voters approved Proposition 14 in 2020, CIRM has been rebuilding and strengthening its workforce to meet new challenges and support the Agency’s mission.
“We are delighted to welcome these talented individuals to CIRM,” said President and CEO Dr. Maria Millan. “They bring strong expertise and essential skills that will support our strategic plan and advance our mission to accelerate world‑class science for California and the world. We look forward to working with all of them.”
New Members of the CIRM Team
Rafael Aguirre‑Sacasa and Koren Temple‑Perry are among the new team members who recently joined CIRM.
Medical Affairs
Emily Reyes has joined the Medical Affairs and Policy team as a project manager. She holds an MPH from California State University, Fullerton, and a BS from Oregon State University. She previously coordinated clinical research studies at UCSF, supporting patients, managing data, and preparing manuscripts.
Marivel De La Torre has also joined the Medical Affairs and Policy team as a project manager. Based in Sacramento, she brings more than 18 years of state service, including project management roles at the Departments of Transportation, Health Care Services, Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the California Air Resources Board.
IT, Finance and HR
Emily Reyes has joined the Medical Affairs and Policy team as a project manager. She holds an MPH from California State University, Fullerton, and a BS from Oregon State University. At UCSF, she coordinated clinical research studies, supporting patients, managing data, and preparing manuscripts.
Marivel De La Torre has also joined the team as a project manager. Based in Sacramento, she brings more than 18 years of state service, including project management roles at the Departments of Transportation, Health Care Services, Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the California Air Resources Board.
Leyla Najmi joins as CIRM’s Director of Human Resources. She is a seasoned HR leader with experience across public and private sectors, known for combining strategic planning with hands‑on execution to drive organizational progress.
New Science Officers and Therapeutics
Elizabeth (Liz) Noblin, PhD, has joined the Review team as a Senior Science Officer. She previously worked as a program and project manager at 23andMe, supporting both Research and Therapeutics. She holds a PhD in Genetics from Yale and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford.
Charlie Shaw, PhD, has joined the Business Development & Alliance Management team as a Senior Science Officer. He brings more than 12 years of experience in academic technology licensing, most recently as Associate Director of Licensing at the Moffitt Cancer Center. He holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology from Duke, completed postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago, earned a BS from Davidson College, and is pursuing an MBA.
Janie Byrum, PhD, has joined the Scientific Programs team as a Science Officer. She previously worked as an R&D engineer at CZ Biohub, building imaging pipelines to study how viral infections affect cell function. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and completed postdoctoral training in immunology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Chan Lek Tan, PhD, has joined Scientific Programs as a Science Officer specializing in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. He previously served as a Principal Scientist at Genentech and BridgeBio, advancing small‑molecule and RNA‑based therapeutics toward IND‑enabling studies. He received his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience from The Rockefeller University.
James (Jim) Campanelli, PhD, has joined Therapeutics Development as a Senior Science Officer. He spent 17 years directing research and development at Q Therapeutics. He earned his PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford and previously served as an assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign.
General Counsel
Scott Tocher, CIRM’s former General Counsel, returned to the Agency last November as a retired annuitant to support the legal division and rejoined full‑time in February as Senior Director of Board Governance. Scott originally joined CIRM in 2005 and helped develop many of the Agency’s foundational policies and programs through 2019.