Visiting Scientists and Scholars
Senior Applications Scientist, Presperse Corporation
Daphne Benderly has over 20 years’ experience in industrial R&D, among others in the personal care, specialty chemicals, and plastics industries. She is an active member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the Society of Plastics Engineers. She has authored publications, book chapters and patent applications, and has presented her work at national and international conferences.
Daphne has held the position as a Visiting Scientist at the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials and Center for Dermal Research at Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey since July 2016. The collaborative work between Presperse and CDR – Rutgers is aimed at quantifying the performance of raw materials used in personal care products, leading to better product design and claims substantiation.
Medical Director, BE Skin & Laser Med Spa, Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Dr. Beri is a Board Certified Physician in the USA and an active member of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery. She is also the Medical Director and owner of an Aesthetic Anti-Aging Medical Spa practice in NJ.
Kavita has held the position as Visiting Scientist at the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials and Center for Dermal Research at Rutgers – The State University of NJ since the Spring of 2015. She is also an active staff member in the Department of Medicine in Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
Dr. Beri holds two research patents and has presented at several international regenerative medicine conferences. She holds a Distinction in Biochemistry and has contributed to several publications. Her passion is research in the regenerative medicine of tissue engineering with stem cells combined with lasers, including cancer stem cells and medicinal properties of plant stem cells in wound healing and skin regeneration. She holds a strong interest and is a follower of yoga science and Vedic philosophy and its influence on scientific research.
Benjamin Goodyear, PhD
Galderma Laboratories
Dr. Benjamin C. Goodyear earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Rutgers University and B.S. in Biology from Montclair State University. Dr. Goodyear started his career as a Bench Scientist with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) developing OTC transdermal nicotine patches and branded prescription pain products. Next, he was an Analytical Scientist with TEVA pharmaceuticals and developed methods and protocols to support drug product filings for both ANDAs and 505b.2 submissions. In his next role, Dr. Goodyear was a Scientist with Amneal Pharmaceuticals and conducted performance testing & drug product characterization of sterile ophthalmic formulations. Next, he was a Formulation Chemist with L’Oréal USA and supported new cosmetic skin care product innovations and launches. Previously, Dr. Goodyear was a Global Technical Marketing Manager with BASF pharma solutions and supported pharmaceutical & cosmeceutical excipient applications for cream, emulsion, foam, ointment, gel, serum, suspension, and solution dosage forms. Presently, Dr. Goodyear is a Medical Science Liaison with Galderma Laboratories working directly with dermatologists, skin researchers, clinical trials centers, and key opinion leaders that cover Aesthetics (Ax), Biologics (Bx), Cosmetics (Cx), & Medical Prescription (Rx) product industries.
TRI, Princeton NJ
Samuel Gourion-Arsiquaud is using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques for the characterization and the analysis of modifications in biomaterials associated with special conditions like aging, disease, environmental stress or chemical treatment (product application or drug therapy).
Dr. Gourion-Arsiquaud’s expertise lies in multiple biophysical techniques with a special emphasis on vibrational spectroscopies (FTIR & Raman) for biomaterial sciences; bone, teeth, nail, hair and skin. He has more than 10 years of research experience, including technique development, project design and coordination, as well as a successful track record of achievements.
After a doctorate in Biochemistry/Biophysics (France), he began his career at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS/Cornell University) studying the mechanisms of biomineralization in bone and teeth. Then, he became associate researcher at Rutgers University, where he examined the structural and functional analysis of lipid/protein interactions involved in the host – defense mechanism, as well as the biophysical aspects of skin to understand its physiological barrier function.
Since 2011, Dr. Gourion-Arsiquaud joined TRI where he is developing innovative tests, research areas and product evaluations relevant to cosmetic sciences and material analysis; from technology development to product design and performance evaluation on hair, nail and skin care products. Samuel has held the position of Visiting Scientist at the Center for Dermal Research since the Spring of 2015.
Vinam Puri, PhD
Solaris Pharma Corporation
Vinam Puri is a Research Scientist in Formulation R&D at Solaris Pharma Corporation working on product development, scale-up and technology transfer activities to support the company pipeline including semi-solid and liquid products. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences under Prof. Michniak-Kohn’s mentorship from Rutgers University in October 2021 focusing on topical nail drug delivery. His area of expertise include topical, transdermal and mucosal drug delivery with consideration of design space to optimize product development.
Julia Zhang, PhD
Aspire Pharma
Julia Zhang is the Director of Pharmaceutical Development for Aspire Pharma. Julia leads the RD team in the development of innovative pharmaceutical products and provides strategic direction to cross function teams on regulatory submissions. Prior to her current position, Julia was a Senior Director, AR&D for Quagen Pharma; and held numerous positions at PuraCap, most recently as Director, AR&D. Julia received her PhD from Rutgers University under the mentorship of Dr. Bozena Michniak-Kohn in the Laboratory for Drug Delivery. Julia received an MS in Computer Science from NJIT and an MS in Chemistry from Lamar University – Beaumont.
Previous Visiting Scientists/Scholars:
Aaron Cohen, Ph.D.
from Colgate-Palmolive, NJ, specializing in personal care products. Visitor in 2019.
Maria Garcia, Ph.D.
from Kanalis Consulting, L.L.C. in Edison NJ. Specialties: Membrane biochemistry and
biophysics. Ion channels and transporters. Pharmacology. HTS assays. Visitor in 2019.
Sharon Haynie, Ph.D.
from Hypatia Technology Works, LLC, Philadelphia, PA. Specialist in drug delivery
systems. Visited from 2018-2019.
Greg Kaczorowski, Ph.D.
from Kanalis Consulting, L.L.C. in Edison NJ. Specialization ion channels and transporters as drug targets and the subject of drug safety. Visitor in 2019.
Arsalan Khan, Ph.D.
from Croda, NJ specializing in polymers and personal care products for skin.
Visitor from 2016-2019.
VP for Regenerative Dermatology, Zymeron Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC Research efforts for Regenerative Dermatology apply strategies in Regenerative Medicine to provide innovative products and enabling technologies for skin regeneration by combining expertise and know-hows in biologics, biopolymers, and tissue engineering. Visitor from 2016-2019
Allyson Maron, Ph.D.
from Croda, NJ specializing in polymers and personal care products for skin. Visitor from 2017-2019.
Lead Applications Scientist – Healthcare, Croda Inc., New Castle, DE. Research in the area of colloidal drug delivery systems, including nanoparticles, microparticles and liposomes. She is also interested in research on topical and transdermal drug delivery. Visitor from 2016-2018
Sr. Scientist I, Merial, now part of Boehringer Ingelheim. Her responsibilities at Merial include development of new formulations for topical, oral, injectable delivery for animal health. Visitor from 2016-2017
Amra Tabakovic, Ph.D.
from Croda, NJ specializing in polymers and personal care products for skin.
2018-2019