Los Angeles Life Sciences

Stephanie Hsieh was recently appointed as interim CEO of Bioscience Los Angeles County, Inc., a public/private partnership founded by Los Angeles County with the purpose of promoting regional economic development through the life science industry. In addition, Stephanie serves as an independent director on the boards of public and private corporations with her board experience spanning biotech, fintech and banking. Previously, Stephanie was executive director of Biocom California’s Los Angeles office, having served on its LA advisory board. The regional bioscience ecosystem development work that she is now immersed in is the culmination of over 30 years in and servicing the biotech/biopharma industries; combining her operational knowledge of drug development and experience as a former patent attorney, angel investor, and entrepreneur/biopharma executive with economic development and advocacy work on behalf of the industry. Stephanie graduated magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi from Wellesley College, where she majored in Biological Chemistry. She then received a JD from Columbia Law School, as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, she was recognized by the LA Business Journal as one of the “most influential leaders and impactful executives in Los Angeles.”

Jonathan Lange is the Senior VP for Boston Properties (BXP) in the Los Angeles Region, and the co-head of BXP’s Life Sciences platform. BXP is the largest publicly held developer, owner and operator of Class A office properties in the United States, with a significant presence in six markets: Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Jonathan is responsible for leading new business development and asset management for BXP’s Los Angeles region. He is also responsible for identifying and executing new Life Sciences investments across the US. BXP LA was able to execute significant leases and make new investments, and contribute to internal BXP best-practices during the pandemic. Among his accomplishments last year was the joint venture finalization for a 275,000-square-foot development of a six-acre parcel in the Rosecrans corridor of the City of El Segundo with the leading developer in the South Bay.

Hawkins\Brown is internationally renowned award-winning architecture practice striving to create places with personality and purpose that are well-made, well-used and well-loved. Since joining Hawkins\Brown over a decade ago, Matthew has been involved in many of the company’s flagship projects across multiple sectors, including academic research facilities, commercial workspace and mixed-use residential projects. Matthew has developed a particular specialism in the creative re-use and adaptation of existing buildings and is currently leading the implementation and growth of Hawkins\Brown’s satellite studio in Los Angeles, bringing a unique European perspective to the North American market.

As President of Intersect Management, I have 30 years of continuous experience and well-over $3B of CAPEX management experience. I have led multi-faceted, highly collaborative project teams on various types of projects. With a high focus on the technically complex, highly amenitized developments and redevelopments in industries such as biotech, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, mission critical, and commercial office. I understand the level of detail required to successfully execute these types of projects. My experience ranges from modern office environments and highly complex pharmaceutical and mission critical facilities, to the more unique sports complex and restaurant space.

A name partner of the firm, Anton N. Natsis is Chair of Allen Matkins’ Real Estate Department and is one of the top real estate attorneys in the United States. His practice focuses on development, leasing, purchase and sale, and portfolio investment sales transactions involving office, retail, and industrial projects, as well as arbitrating numerous fair market value disputes, CAM disputes and other significant landlord/tenant disputes. He also has extensive experience in debt, equity, and joint venture workouts, and the purchase of distressed assets and distressed debt. Tony is continually sought out by some of the largest national land owners, such as J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Blackstone Real Estate, Brookfield Properties, HCP, Vornado Realty Trust, Regent Properties, The Irvine Company, Boston Properties, Equity Office Properties, Kilroy Realty, Inc., Beacon Capital Partners, MPG Office Trust, Kamehameha Schools (The Bishop Estate) and Westfield Corporation. He represents many governmental entities, including the LAUSD, State of California, and City of Anaheim. Tony is also frequently retained as counsel for major national office tenants, such as AT&T, Citicorp, the FDIC, AIG, The Walt Disney Company, and the Los Angeles Times. A frequent lecturer and author, Tony is the chief consultant for the California Continuing Education of the Bar Commercial Leasing Series, the legal education reference book on leasing for California attorneys, is an adjunct professor of law at Loyola Law School for a course covering commercial real estate transactions, and has spoken before such national real estate groups as ULI and BOMA. Tony is a founding board member of The Ziman Real Estate Center, which is governed under the joint auspices of the UCLA Anderson School of Business and the UCLA Law School. In the past decade, Tony has closed commercial office leases exceeding 50 million square feet. He has worked on real estate purchase contracts with a total consideration of more than $30 billion and on development transactions with a total consideration in excess of $25 billion. Since 2006, Tony has represented clients in office building portfolio investment sales transactions involving over $75 billion of consideration. One of Tony's most significant transactions is the largest real estate acquisition deal in the history of the United States. He provided extensive real estate services in connection with Blackstone Real Estate's purchase of Equity Office Properties Trust, at that point the largest owner of office space in the U.S. other than the Federal Government, for $43 billion. Subsequently, Blackstone contracted to sell over 50% of the properties it purchased with such sales closing in the first and second quarter of 2007. Tony assisted Blackstone in its acquisition due diligence related to EOP and the subsequent sales of the properties. The transactions related to this deal included Maguire Properties' purchase of Blackstone/EOP in Orange County for $2 billion, Irvine Company's purchase of Blackstone/EOP in San Diego for $1 billion, Morgan Stanley's purchase of Blackstone/EOP in San Francisco for $2.5 billion, and Beacon Capital Partners’ purchase of Blackstone/EOP Seattle for $6.3 billion.

Dr. Varnum has served as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the board of directors of Armata Pharmaceuticals since August 2021. Dr. Varnum joined C3J Therapeutics in 2012 as Vice President of Product Development, stepping into the role of Chief Development Officer in 2014, and then President in May 2019, both roles he continued to serve at Armata Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Varnum is a biotech veteran with more than 25 years of experience. He began his career with Amgen and spent more than 18 years at the biotech pioneer as that company grew from a start-up to a large and successful biotechnology company. Dr. Varnum started in discovery research where his team purified novel growth factors and advanced antibodies and small molecules into clinical studies. Dr. Varnum also worked in development, assisting with clinical development of proteins, antibodies and small molecules. In this capacity, he contributed to key regulatory filings, market research and product launch, giving him experience in drug discovery and development from the lab bench to product launch and marketing. After retiring from Amgen in 2007, Dr. Varnum turned his focus to the start-up landscape, working in several capacities, including assisting investors, entrepreneurs and start-ups in the assessment of technologies for funding or in-licensing. In these capacities, he established research strategies and plans, and served as CSO for several companies, securing funding, and executing research contracts with large and mid-sized pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Varnum obtained his Ph.D. from UCLA studying oncogenes, and his drug development research experience includes hematopoietic growth factor discovery, oncology, auto-immune/inflammatory disorders, personalized medicine in IBD and infectious diseases.

Allan S. Glass is a Co-Founder and Principal at HATCHspaces LLC. With 25 years of brokerage, redevelopment and consulting experience, Allan has worked through three full market cycles advising private equity funds, developers, banks, non profit institutions, private landowners and real estate investors across the country. He has extensive expertise in areas of distressed assets and value added development utilizing in-depth knowledge of structuring and unwinding complex ownership and finance arrangements. His experience crosses multiple product types in both the commercial and residential markets.

Howard Xu is the director for incubator development and programming. With biotech R&D experience in both industry and academia, he directs and works with key bioscience stakeholders to successfully run the Cal State LA BioStart bioentrepreneurs bootcamp. He helps oversee the University’s initiatives in promoting a strong bioscience innovation ecosystem. He has also helped secure funding from L.A. County and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. He was honored with California State University (CSU) systemwide 2011 Andreoli Faculty Service Award and 2018 Faculty Research Award by CSUPERB (California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology). He was also awarded Outstanding Professor at Cal State LA in 2019.

David Oh is a highly experienced leader in lab planning and design with over three decades of experience in various markets, including semiconductors, advanced technology, biotech, biomedical, telecommunications, aerospace, and mission-critical facilities. He has extensive knowledge in the STEM field and the science and pharmaceutical industry, and has worked on diverse projects such as workplace, industrial, institutional, education, public, commercial, and healthcare. David received his Bachelor of Architecture from Southern California Institute of Architecture and has held various positions such as Designer, Studio Leader, Project Executive, Project Designer, Project Manager, Managing Principal, and Principal-in-Charge. He has provided design, planning, project management and leadership, construction management, and quality control and assurance services for projects in the United States and internationally.

Frank carries more than ten years of electrical engineering and MEP project management experience. He is a hands-on leader engaged in all engineering decisions and manages each program within his purview. Frank is involved in all phases of construction document preparation, including schematic and design development services, comprehensive electrical specifications, energy compliance documentation, estimating, and construction field support. In addition, Frank contributes to a wide range of projects, including corporate, laboratories, commercial, and healthcare, which has cultivated a deep understanding of all aspects of electrical design and various project delivery types, including design-build and design-assist.

Josh Goldman leads San Diego and Orange County development at Gemdale USA and is responsible for executing the business plan for those markets. Prior to joining Gemdale USA, Mr. Goldman held various senior roles for Brookfield Properties, Rouse Properties, DDR, and The Rappaport companies. In those roles, Josh developed well over a billion dollars of product across multiple asset classes. He has deep experience in multiple high barrier to entry markets. Mr. Goldman holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Maryland and is an active member of ULI.

Dr. Andrew Gray is an immune engineer and co-founder of Karma Biotechnologies, a Los Angeles startup on a mission to bring treatments for autoimmunity into the 21 st century. Andrew was only eight years old when his mother was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a devastating and incurable autoimmune disease. Ever since, he has been on a quest to help patients like her. Andrew received his PhD in Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology from USC in 2011. Since then, he’s founded and advised multiple biotech startups, and helps assess novel technologies for several venture funds. Originally from the UK, Andrew came to the US with nothing but a place at UC Berkeley and a rucksack… which the airline lost. In their spare time Andrew and his wife love showing California’s natural wonders to their energetic two-year-old daughter.

Shaun Stiles has been actively involved in the Los Angeles commercial real estate industry and in particular in the life science sector, for over thirty years. He has worked extensively with local life science tenants and landlords to provide single point of responsibility service. His experience in representing both landlords and tenants, and his unique understanding of lab space and specific lab requirements has served to provide Shaun with invaluable knowledge and insight of the industry. Shaun’s experience representing local life science firms is well documented and his involvement with local institutions, life science groups and local municipalities give him a competitive advantage over his competition. Shaun is also actively involved with Biocom, Southern California Biomedical Council, BioSource LA and LA Biomed.

Enrique Ceniceros has over 31 years of experience as an architect and laboratory planner, and more than 11 years of experience as a science and technology leader. His attention to detail and technical expertise makes him a natural leader for design teams, consultants, and owner user groups alike. His clients include universities, biopharmaceutical facilities, R&D laboratories, developers, aerospace facilities, and manufacturing groups. Enrique is passionate about the Life Sciences industry and its growth in the Greater Los Angeles Area and all of Southern California. He spearheaded the creation of the International Institute of Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) in Los Angeles and serves as the chapter’s first president; he believes the life science community needs more platforms to network and collaborate. He was also named one of San Diego's Life Sciences top 50 professionals in 2022 and 2023.

David has 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry and an overall 25 years in the construction industry. He started his construction career in the carpentry trades and continued to work as a carpenter while completing his bachelor’s degree in construction management from California State University, Chico. With David’s thorough background in construction, he has an understanding of both design and installations which leads to more of a natural approach to organizing office to field activities. Given David’s years in the industry, he’s had the opportunity to work with many multidisciplinary teams and successfully coordinate these teams amongst the additional technical requirements found in pharmaceutical/biotech projects. David’s Life Sciences experience includes coordination between subject matter experts, design engineers, end users, fabricators, controls hardware designers/installers, and automation software developers. As Core Market Leader, it has afforded David to influence more teams for success and service a larger client pool with the goal of supporting clients to, “Build Great Things!” David is a member of the IOTA IV Chapter of Sigma Lambda Chi Construction Management Honors Society, and Vice President elect for the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE).