Don obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry at U. of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Toxicology at the U. of Arizona. Don’s thesis work stimulated a >20 year focus at the intersection of the ubiquitin system and mass spectrometry (MS) proteomics. Given exciting advances in these two fields, Don joined Prof. Steve Gygi’s lab at Harvard Medical School in 2003 to perform post-doctoral research using MS to elucidate how ubiquitin signals are assembled and trigger degradation of cellular proteins. Don continued this work at Genentech over a ~14 year tenure, rising through the ranks to become a Director and Staff Scientist overseeing Discovery Proteomics. In 2021, Don made the jump to Interline Therapeutics as the Chief Technology Officer where he established the company’s proteomics and bioinformatics capabilities and positioned proteomics as a centerpiece of their drug discovery platform. Together with his team, he continues this work as a Senior Vice President at Xaira, integrating proteomics together with functional genomics and AI/ML to propel next generation drug discovery. Over his career, Don has published 4 patents and >95 peer reviewed papers that have been cumulatively cited ~14000 times, while generating pre-clinical data to support advancement of oncology, neuroscience and inflammatory disease programs.