The Washington University in St. Louis Office of Technology Management (OTM) and BioGenerator announce the inaugural Venture Fellows cohort.
This cohort of four WashU postdoctoral researchers will participate in an intensive six-month curriculum that provides experiential learning in venture capital investing and company creation, as they work alongside entrepreneurs, investors, and faculty in the St. Louis ecosystem. In addition, the program offers exposure to biotech startups, with hands-on training to develop capabilities across the spectrum from deal flow generation to exit opportunity evaluation.
Learn more about the inaugural Venture Fellows:
Michelle Connor, MD
Michelle Connor is a Neurosurgery resident at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis. She studied Neuroscience and Economics as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, followed by medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California. She is pursuing a career in cerebrovascular neurosurgery with the goal of becoming a leading neurosurgeon-scientist leveraging translational and clinical projects that advance the field through innovative technologies and device development. She is excited to expand her knowledge outside of neurosurgery, embrace a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, and uniquely position herself to be able to develop, evaluate, and commercialize interventions that can be immediately impactful.
Jae S. Morris, PhD
Jae S. Morris is a plant biochemist with a technical background spanning synthetic and structural biology. Her prior experiences in the biotech space – as early investor, consultant, inventor and co-founder – have kindled a passion for translating scientific knowledge into tangible innovation. In her research, she has studied the natural capacity plants have to do complex chemistry, and used this insight to engineer microbial systems for the production of high-value medicinal molecules. Currently, she is using structural visualization to understand and manipulate the molecular machinery which makes plants and microorganisms so useful to human health and industry. Outside of the lab and boardroom, Jae loves to create new things with her own two hands – nurturing her vegetable garden, building (and flying) a racing drone, repairing mechanical typewriters or 3D-printing her latest design.
Piyarat Siripoksup, PhD
Piyarat Siripoksup holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science with expertise in physiology. Her passion for innovation and translational research led her to the Patti Lab for her postdoctoral work. Currently, she investigates the role of lipids in breast cancer metastasis using mass spectrometry techniques, refining her technical and analytical skills to better understand disease mechanisms. As a Venture Fellow, Piyarat seeks to gain experience in venture capital and entrepreneurship, applying her scientific expertise and strategic thinking to evaluate startups and identify promising innovations in the biotech space. Ultimately, she aims to transition into a career where science intersects with business.
Bryce Stottlemire, PhD
Bryce Stottlemire holds a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Kansas and is a NIBIB T32 Regenerative Medicine Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis, specializing in musculoskeletal disease research in the Setton lab. He is developing innovative microfluidic platforms to study interactions between intervertebral disc degeneration and nerve function, aiming to identify new therapeutic approaches for chronic pain. Bryce also plays a key role in the NITRO project, focusing on drug distribution and particle tracking modeling for gene therapies targeting osteoarthritis. Passionate about advancing biomedical technologies, Bryce brings experience in entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on biomaterials and advanced manufacturing to drive impactful innovations in healthcare.
