Vivan
Nguyen Chi

Sr Scientific Consultant
& Scientist, in vivo Pharmacology

• LinkedIn
• Information
• Email

Our Collective Vision.
Your Legendary Impact.

Together, we can shape the future.

Hi, I'm Vivan — a pioneering neuroscientist and biomedical innovator with a transformative PhD and over 15 years of breakthrough experience at the intersection of drug discovery, translational research, and emerging technologies in biotech.My expertise spans critical therapeutic domains including neurodegenerative disorders, psychiatric conditions, neurological challenges, and oncology, where I leverage advanced in vivo research methodologies and cutting-edge AI/ML approaches to drive next-generation therapeutic solutions.

Core Competencies

People Skills:
• Extensive experience training, mentoring + onboarding (50+) scientists and professionals
• Working in fast-paced and ever-changing environments across all levels
• Creative problem-solving approaches
• Leading teams of 5-40 people
• Coaching leadership and C-suite
• Working with CROs, CDMOs, and external (international) vendors
• Working with regulatory affairs to develop comprehensive regulatory strategyProject/Program Management:
• Managing multiple cross-matrix, cross-disciplinary projects from initiation to completion
• Time Management + organizational skill
• Sequential vs. iterative workflow processes (agile)
• Project alignment with strategic goals
• Management approaches to enhance efficiency and collaboration
• Portfolio management to assess potential risks and returns, defining long-term and short-term goals
• Post-project reviews, collecting feedback, identification of areas for process optimizationBusiness Development & Operations:
• Strategic relationship building and partnership architecture
• Comprehensive market (research) analysis
• Portfolio management to assess potential risks and returns, defining KPIs, deliverables and milestones
• Risk management and mitigation
• Resource optimization
• Value proposition development
• Competitive intelligenceSoftware:
• ELN: Benchling, Notion, Smartsheets, StudyLog, Airtable, LIMS
• Lucidchart, Illustrator, Corel Draw, Figma, Sketch
• Microsoft Office, Google Suite
• Adobe Suite (Premiere Pro, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Lightroom)
• Procreate, DALL-E, Midjourney, chatGPT, Gemini, Claude 3.5
• Slack, Zoom, Google Meet/Chat, Microsoft Teams, Asana
• Logic Pro XIn Vivo + Ex Vivo Electrophysiology:
• Single, double, tetrode and multi-electrode array recordings
• Intracranial implantation of multi-channel electrode array probes
• In Vivo calcium imaging
• In Vivo fiber photometry
• In Vivo stereotaxic surgery
• Ex Vivo patch + voltage clamp
• (Viral) intracranial microinjections (AAVs, Lenti, Rabies, and other fluorescent biomarkers)Data Processing / Analysis:
• Data analysis pipeline design + construction
• Image data processing / analysis (FIJI / ImageJ)
• Statistics
• Signal processingMolecular Biology / Microbiology:
• Optogenetics
• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) / FISH
• Confocal + epifluorescence microscopy
• Microbiological cell assays (antibiotics + drugs)
• Cell transfectionIn Vivo Pharmacology:
• Various drug administration routes (IP, IV, SC, RO, PO)
• Perfusion + tissue collection, necropsy
• PK / PD studies
• 7-Day tolerability studies, efficacy studies, non-GLP toxicology studies, behavioral studies to train AILab / Animals / Administration:
• Various animal behavior assays
• IACUC administration + animal welfare guidelines
• USDA species (hamsters)
• CAPA + deviation meetings
• Good Lab Practice (GLP), BSL-1, BSL-2
• Study Protocols (SOPs), Operating Guidelines (OGs), Study manuals (NCEs, API)
• Managing + tracking project budgets
• Evaluation of project ROI and resource allocation

Work Experience

Scientific Consultant & Sr Project Manager
In Vivo Strategies | San Francisco, CA | May 2024 - present
• Developed and managed relationships with 30+ biotech startups, resulting in successful
partnerships and expanded service offerings.
• Generated $2M+ in new business through strategic partnership development and optimization of service delivery.
• Led cross-functional teams to deliver comprehensive solutions, resulting in 200% faster decision-making processes.
• Established and maintained strategic relationships with key stakeholders across multiple research facilities.Scientific Consultant & Scientist, in vivo Pharmacology
Rejuvenation Technologies Inc. | Mountain View, CA | Mar 2024 - present
• Spearheaded business development initiatives resulting in 1 successful drug repurposing partnership.
• Built and managed relationships with CROs and internal teams, reducing project timelines by 200%.
• Developed and implemented strategic account plans resulting in 10+ new client acquisitions.
• Created and maintained partnership frameworks ensuring scientific rigor and commercial success.Sr Scientific Consultant & Partner, Biotech & Life Sciences
Nexus Biotech | San Francisco, CA | Apr 2023 – present
• Led business development strategies resulting in 100% growth in strategic partnerships.
• Managed portfolio of 5 key accounts, delivering consistent revenue growth and client satisfaction.
• Presented strategic initiatives to C-level executives, securing buy-in for major partnership opportunities.
• Optimized partner engagement processes, resulting in doubled efficiency in deal closure rates.Study Director, in vivo Pharmacology (Neuroscience, Oncology, AI/ML)
Recursion Pharmaceuticals | Milpitas, CA | Dec 2021 – Mar 2023
• Increased partnership portfolio by 1900%, expanding from 1 to 15-20 active collaborations weekly.
• Implemented innovative partnership tracking systems, reducing deal cycle time by 100%.
• Successfully negotiated and closed partnerships leading to 2 drug compounds advancing to Phase II.
• Managed team of 20+ professionals across multiple departments, ensuring efficient resource utilization.Neuroscientist & Team Lead
University of California San Francisco (UCSF) | San Francisco, CA | Jan 2018 – May 2020
• Successfully completed complex neuroscience experiments employing advanced techniques, resulting in 1 new Python-based data pipeline for all experimental raw data, significantly enhancing data analysis efficiency by 50%.
• Managed quality control for viral vectors and experimental protocol, yielding 50% more streamlined SOPs.
• Reviewed manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.Neuroscientist & Technical Team Lead
University of Heidelberg & Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research (MPI) Collaboration |
Heidelberg, Germany | Jul 2017 - Dec 2017
• Successfully completed and accelerated in vivo electrophysiology experiment procedures (in rodents) by implementing new streamlined analysis method, accelerating study completion speed to 200%.
• Led technical troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair of complex analog-digital hardware systems, ensuring seamless and uninterrupted operations of critical equipment, gaining 200% increased high-quality data output.
• Effectively recruited, trained, and mentored new 30+ new researchers, ensuring continued scientific investigations, resulting in 10+ more published publications.Neuroscientist
University of Heidelberg | Heidelberg, Germany | Jul 2017 - Dec 2017
• Led research projects investigating neurological disorders, resulting in 200% increased data analysis efficiency, leading to 5 critical presentation talks, and 4 new research paper publications.
• Disseminated research findings through publications, presentations, and scientific communications, enhancing visibility by 400% to external audiences, resulting in 3x more new recruits each cycle.
• Streamlined IACUC approval processes, significantly improving research timelines by 200%, resulting in extra $325k grant funding supporting critical new research projects.Neuroscientist
Brandeis University Research Collaboration | Waltham, MA | Jan 2017 - Jul 2017
• Implemented and established novel experimental techniques incorporating broad-bandwidth multi-electrode array recordings.
• Collaborated and executed a new data pipeline for all experimental data, reducing processing-times by 90%.
• Established new (intracranial) microsurgical techniques for novel animal rodent models.
• Administered drugs in various forms, including oral, subcutaneous (SC), and intraperitoneal (IP).Onboarding Neuroscience Lecturer
Interdisciplinary Centre for Neuroscience (IZN) | Heidelberg, Germany | Oct 2015 - Oct 2017Associate Neuroscientist
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) Research Collaboration | Natal, Brazil | Nov 2014 - Dec 2014
• Investigated neurophysiological abnormalities in healthy and neurodegenerative disease models of Alzheimer’s Disease.Business and Career Mentor
Heidelberg, Germany + Boston, MA + San Francisco, CA | Aug 2014 - present
• Providing personalized mentorship and strategic guidance to young professionals, helping them navigate complex career decisions and unlock their full potential in the workplace.
• Professional development and leadership coaching, working closely with clients to identify growth opportunities, develop essential skills, and overcome career challenges.
• Empowering emerging professionals with the tools and insights needed to make informed decisions about their career trajectories and successfully transition between roles and industries.

Honors, Awards, Memberships & Certifications

ExtraFood Volunteer (San Francisco Branch) | San Francisco, CA | Oct 2024 - presentLean Six Sigma White Belt Certification | San Francisco, CA | Mar 2022Postdoctoral Fellowship | San Francisco, CA | May 2018
(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)), under PI Mazen A. Kheirbek, PhD | University of California San FanciscoPhD Exchange Scholar / Fellowship | Boston, MA | Feb 2017
(Females Abroad for Career Enhancement "FACE", CRC1134, Functional Ensembles), in collaboration with Shantanu P. Jadhav, PhD | Brandeis UniversitySociety for Neuroscience (SfN) Member | Nov 2015 - presentSociety for Neuroscience (SfN) Travel Grant | Chicago, IL | Nov 2015
for attending and presenting a poster at the Society for Neuroscience ConferencePhD Exchange Scholar / Fellowship | Natal, Brazil | Nov 2014
National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in collaboration with Dr. Adriano B.L. Tort |
Brain Institute / Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)FELASA-B Certification | Heidelberg, Germany | Jul 2014Business and Career Mentor | San Francisco, CA | Aug 2014 - present
Guiding young scientists and professionals in their career path

Languages

German (native), Vietnamese (native), English (fluent).

...Something That's Not on My Resume...

• I have a burning passion for everything Visual Effects (VFX) and have taught myself all things video and music production for fun.
• I love indoor rock climbing (the higher, the better the challenge!). Thank you, Touchstone Climbing Boston and SF.
• I'm a huge fan of amphibians and reptiles: I used to have green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea), a leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) and I used to hand-craft jungle-type and desert-type terraria in my free time.
• In 2021, I died from a stroke and came back from the dead after 1.5 days of brain surgery.
• I love a simple black coffee. At best, multiple per day. I am a fan of nutty, chocolate-y, full-bodied coffee flavors.

In The Media

Other links to check out:
• Neurotree: from which scientific lineage does Vivan come from?
• German Research Foundation: the official report of my postdoctoral research to the funding organization!

Talks & Publications

Nguyen Chi, V. (2022). Updates about Neuroscience, Oncology, and OS Build Tolerability and Toxicology Studies. (Recursion)Nguyen Chi, V. (2022). Radical Candor and How to Communicate with your Coworkers Without Losing Humanity. (Recursion)Nguyen Chi, V. (2015-2017). Master Student Graduate Program: Electrophysiology: tools and insights – from local cell networks to large-scale recordings to understand learning and memory. (Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Draguhn Lab)Nguyen Chi, V. (2016). Differences in CA1 Theta-Gamma Coupling Across Laminar Layers. (Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, Heidelberg)Nguyen Chi, V. (2016). Novel Oscillation Across Multiple Hippocampal Layers in CA1, CA3 and DG. (International Brain Organization, Rio de Janeiro)Nguyen Chi, V. (2015). A Novel Brain Oscillation Distinct from Theta Oscillations in the Hippocampus. (Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, Heidelberg)Bertocchi, I., Eltokhi, A., Rozov, A., Nguyen Chi, V., Jensen, V., Bus, T., Pawlak V., Serafino M., Hannah Sonntag, H., Boyi, Y., Burnashev, N., Li SB, Obenhaus, HA., Both, M., Niewoehner, B., Single, FN, Briese, M., Boerner, T., Gass, P., Köhr G., Bannerman, DM, Sprengel, R. (2021). Voltage-independent GluN2A-type NMDA receptor Ca 2+ signaling promotes audiogenic seizures, attentional and cognitive deficits in mice. Communications biology, 4(1), 1-21. (PDF)Broeker-Lai, J., Schindeldecker, B., Kollewe, A., Pohle, J., Nguyen Chi, V., Mathar, I., Guzman, R., Schwarz, Y., Lai A., Weißgerber, P., Schwegler, Dietrich, A., Both, M., Sprengel, R., Draguhn, A., Köhr, G., Fakler, B., Flockerzi, V., Bruns, D., Freichel, M.. Heteromeric channels formed by TRPC 1, TRPC 4 and TRPC 5 define hippocampal synaptic transmission and working memory. EMBO J. 2017 Sep 15; 36(18): 2770–2789. (PDF)Nguyen Chi, V (2017). Oscillatory Long-range Synchronization Across Brain Areas in Freely Moving and Head-restrained Mice (Doctoral dissertation, Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg).Nguyen Chi, V., Müller, C., Wolfenstetter, T., Yanovsky, Y., Draguhn, A., Tort, A. B., & Brankačk, J. (2016). Hippocampal respiration-driven rhythm distinct from theta oscillations in awake mice. Journal of Neuroscience, 36(1), 162-177. (PDF)Nguyen Chi, V., Yanovsky, Y., Draguhn, A., Tort, B. L., & Brankack, J. (2016, March). CA1 laminar distribution of theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling patterns in mice. In Acta Physiologica (Vol. 216).