Our Team
Gaurav Byagathvalli
CEO and Co-Founder
Gaurav is a co-inventor of Piezo’s novel platform. Prior to Piezo, he served in a variety of roles at Moelis and Company, Capital One, and Elevance Health. He’s a published scientist with a background in drug delivery and synthetic biology, with research spanning biosensors for wastewater diagnostics, viral vectored HIV vaccines, and skin-targeted nucleic acid delivery. He holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Ria Michalaki, PhD
Senior Scientist
Ria is an accomplished scientist with a background in vaccine delivery, lipid nanoparticle formulations, and biomaterials-based techniques. Her postdoctoral research at Georgia Tech focused on lymphatic-targeted delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics. She has received numerous accolades, including the Richard Skalak and Berkeley Rising Star awards. She holds a BS and PhD from the University of Patras and Stanford University respectively, both in Chemical Engineering.
Jade Najjar, MS
Lab Operations Associate
Jade is a research scientist with over ten years of experience in molecular biology ranging from biotic and abiotic stress resistance in crop plants to drug target development for the treatment of diabetes and the elucidation of cardioprotective mechanisms in heart failure. She holds a BS in Applied Biotechnology from the University of Georgia and a MS in Plant Pathology from the University of Arkansas.
Maleena Shah
Bioengineering R&D Intern
Maleena is a biomedical engineering undergraduate student at Georgia Tech. She brings experience in drug delivery and cell/gene therapy.
Vibha Narasayya
Bioengineering R&D Intern
Vibha is a biomedical engineering undergraduate student at Georgia Tech. She brings experience in oncology and in vitro immunology.
Board of Directors
Mark R. Prausnitz, PhD
Co-Founder
Mark is a Regents' Professor and Regents' Entrepreneur in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech with over 35 years of experience in drug delivery systems with a focus on microneedles and electroporation. He has published over 340 research articles, invented 75 US patents issued or pending, and co-founded 9 companies that have raised more than $350 million in funding. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine and National Academy of Inventors. He holds a BS from Stanford University and a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in chemical engineering.
Saad Bhamla, PhD
Co-Founder
Saad is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech with over 10 years of experience in research areas including frugal science and biotechnology. He is a prolific inventor with notable inventions such as the 20-cent centrifuge and 96-cent hearing aid. He holds a B. Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University.
Cynthia Sundell, PhD
Co-Founder
Cindi is a Principal and Director of Life Sciences in Georgia Tech’s Quadrant-i, aiding in commercialization and translation of technologies from research to the market. She is a former VP of Pharmacology for AtheroGenics and former VP of Drug Development at Cerenis Therapeutics. She holds a BA in Biology from Rutgers University and PhD in Biological Sciences from University of Pennsylvania.
Gaurav Byagathvalli
CEO and Co-Founder
Gaurav is a co-inventor of Piezo’s novel platform. Prior to Piezo, he served in a variety of roles at Moelis and Company, Capital One, and Elevance Health. He’s a published scientist with a background in drug delivery and synthetic biology, with research spanning biosensors for wastewater diagnostics, viral vectored HIV vaccines, and skin-targeted nucleic acid delivery. He holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.