Seyhan Barnum

• Led end-to-end management of complex scientific review programs, ensuring rigorous, objective, and policy-compliant evaluation of innovative research proposals and emerging scientific opportunities.
• Directed the scientific evaluation and peer review of NIH research (R) and fellowship (F) grant portfolios, providing strategic scientific assessment to support funding decisions across diverse biomedical research areas.
• Recruited and led multidisciplinary panels of nationally and internationally recognized scientific experts, ensuring balanced expertise, scientific rigor, and high-quality evaluation of translational and discovery research.
• Synthesized complex scientific data and reviewer feedback into actionable recommendations that shaped strategic funding priorities and guided research investment decisions.
• Established collaborative relationships with program leadership, investigators, scientific reviewers, and internal stakeholders to enhance communication and partnership throughout the review process.
• Led scientific leadership and governance for review committees, ensuring compliance with NIH policies and ethical standards.
• Evaluated a broad range of innovative research programs spanning immunology, infectious diseases, vaccinology, and translational science, developing broad insight into emerging technologies, competitive scientific landscapes, and future therapeutic opportunities.
• Center for Scientific Review| Division of Physiological and Pathological Sciences Immunology and Infectious Diseases: A Review Branch

Strategic Scientific Leadership Scientific Collaborations & Partnership Development Translational Research Strategy Norovirus Scientific Program Leadership Pandemic Preparedness & Emerging Pathogen Strategy Influenza Research & Vaccine Innovation RSV, hMPV & PIV Vaccine Programs Executive Leadership Highlights

• Led enterprise-wide scientific initiatives spanning translational research, vaccine discovery, and innovation strategy for high-priority infectious disease programs.
• Directed multidisciplinary matrix teams comprising experts in biology, immunology, translational sciences, computational biology, clinical development, toxicology, regulatory affairs, quality, commercial strategy, legal, finance, and business development.
• Established scientific vision, portfolio strategy, and development priorities aligned with organizational objectives, ensuring execution of complex research programs from discovery through translational development.
• Provided executive scientific leadership to senior R&D leadership teams and served as a strategic advisor for research investment, portfolio prioritization, and innovation planning.
• Built and strengthened collaborations across internal research organizations and external scientific stakeholders to accelerate innovation and therapeutic development.
• Partnered closely with Vaccine Development Leaders, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Intellectual Property, Legal, Commercial, and External Innovation teams to advance strategic research initiatives.
• Supported evaluation of emerging scientific opportunities, enabling informed decisions regarding new technologies, platform investments, and collaborative partnerships.
• Represented scientific programs in cross-functional governance meetings, strategic reviews, and collaborative scientific forums.
• Led translational research strategies supporting vaccine discovery and development across multiple infectious disease programs, including Norovirus, Influenza, RSV, Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV), and Parainfluenza Virus (PIV).
• Translated complex biological discoveries into actionable development strategies supporting progression of vaccine candidates.
• Integrated virology, immunology, systems biology, computational sciences, and translational research approaches to optimize candidate selection and development decisions.
• Identified emerging scientific trends and technologies to strengthen innovation pipelines and future therapeutic opportunities.
• Directed the Norovirus Task Force, leading multidisciplinary teams responsible for discovery strategy, scientific priorities, and portfolio execution.
• Established research objectives and coordinated cross-functional activities to ensure timely advancement of vaccine development milestones.
• Served as the scientific lead for Norovirus biology while collaborating extensively with research, clinical, regulatory, patent, legal, and business development organizations.
• Led strategic planning for pandemic preparedness initiatives supporting organizational readiness for emerging infectious diseases.
• Directed cross-functional teams spanning R&D, Commercial, Regulatory, Medical Affairs, Finance, Legal, and Quality to establish pandemic response strategies.
• Provided scientific leadership across influenza, COVID-19, Nipah virus, and prototype pathogen programs.
• Guided evaluation and development of pandemic-ready vaccine platforms, future Disease X preparedness strategies, and technology assessment frameworks.
• Led scientific initiatives supporting influenza strain selection, vaccine design, structural biology, and translational development.
• Directed research focused on influenza biology, viral evolution, pathogenesis, surveillance, and development of innovative vaccine candidates.
• Provided scientific expertise in molecular virology, epidemiology, serological assay development, and vaccine evaluation supporting seasonal and pandemic influenza preparedness.
• Provided scientific leadership supporting next-generation vaccine design, including mosaic antigen strategies.
• Directed preclinical research planning, virus production strategies, and challenge study design to advance vaccine candidates toward clinical development.
• Collaborated with translational and clinical teams to optimize development strategies across respiratory virus programs.
• Executive leadership of large, multidisciplinary scientific organizations operating within highly matrixed global environments.
• Extensive experience translating emerging science into strategic research and development decisions.
• Proven ability to influence senior leadership and align diverse stakeholders around shared scientific objectives.
• Strong record of mentoring scientists, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and building high-performing research teams.
• Expertise in scientific strategy, translational medicine, external collaborations, portfolio management, competitive intelligence, and innovation leadership.

• Drove strategic growth of global Vaccine R&D portfolio by identifying and integrating emerging technologies and high-priority infectious disease opportunities.
• Led cross-functional scientific evaluations of external research opportunities, synthesizing complex technical, scientific, and commercial data into strategic recommendations for executive leadership and governance committees.
• Established and expanded strategic collaborations with academic institutions and biotechnology organizations, accelerating translational research and innovation.
• Built and maintained an extensive network across major U.S. academic research institutions, continuously assessing the external scientific landscape to identify partnership and licensing opportunities.
• Represented the organization at national and international scientific conferences, fostering collaborations and monitoring advances in vaccinology, translational medicine, emerging technologies, and infectious disease research.
• Organized executive-level scientific workshops, partnership meetings, and external innovation forums that strengthened relationships with academic and industry collaborators.
• Led the U.S. External Scientific Speaker Series, engaging internationally recognized investigators and facilitating scientific exchange across research organizations.

• Partnered with Research, Clinical Development, Business Development, Regulatory Affairs, Legal, and Intellectual Property teams to evaluate scientific opportunities, assess risks, and guide strategic investment decisions.
• Provided scientific leadership supporting translational research initiatives that accelerated progression of innovative vaccine concepts toward development.
• Mentored scientists in developing collaborative Ph.D. and postdoctoral research programs, strengthening external scientific engagement and talent development.

• Negotiated and managed high-impact scientific collaborations with academic institutions, aligning scientific objectives and governance structures to maximize research potential.
• Successfully negotiated and managed multiple strategic research collaborations, including:KPPA-MAPS collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
  $1.3M collaborative research program with Johns Hopkins University supporting next-generation CHO cell platform development.
  Secured more than $3M in funding for development of a pan-Salmonella vaccine program, including the implementation of updated financial conflict-of-interest governance policies.
  Established a $500K collaboration with Johns Hopkins University supporting development of advanced in vitro silico toxicology models.
  

• Directed financial planning and resource allocation across complex research portfolios, balancing scientific priorities, organizational objectives, and rapidly evolving public health needs.
• Managed research investments across multiple scientific programs, reallocating resources during emerging infectious disease and pandemic response initiatives to maximize organizational impact.
• Supported executive decision-making through scientific due diligence, competitive intelligence, technology assessment, and evaluation of emerging research trends.
• Influenced strategic portfolio decisions by integrating scientific, operational, regulatory, legal, and business perspectives across highly matrixed global organizations.

• Executive leadership of global scientific collaborations and translational research partnerships.
• Extensive experience building productive relationships across academia, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical organizations.
• Proven ability to translate emerging biomedical science into strategic R&D investments and therapeutic opportunities.
• Expertise in external innovation, scientific due diligence, partnership development, portfolio governance, resource strategy, and executive stakeholder engagement.

• Provided scientific leadership for the discovery, translational development, and clinical advancement of next-generation influenza and pandemic vaccine candidates from early research through first-in-human clinical studies.
• Developed and executed integrated translational research strategies supporting innovative vaccine platforms, ensuring alignment between discovery science, product development, regulatory requirements, and clinical objectives.
• Directed multidisciplinary research programs spanning virology, immunology, vaccine design, assay development, and translational medicine to accelerate progression of vaccine candidates.
• Translated complex scientific findings into development strategies supporting milestone-driven advancement across the vaccine development pipeline.

• Led strategic development of multiple innovative influenza vaccine programs, including:FluMos-v1 – advanced to Phase 1b clinical evaluation.
  FluMos-v2 – progressed into Phase I clinical development.
  StemMos Pandemic Influenza Vaccine – advanced to GMP manufacturing for clinical development.
  
• Established portfolio priorities, development roadmaps, scientific milestones, and risk mitigation strategies, ensuring timely achievement of research objectives.
• Represented influenza research as Research Lead on cross-functional Vaccine Program Teams, serving as the scientific interface between discovery research, translational development, clinical operations, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, biostatistics, and program leadership.
• Guided scientific decision-making throughout stage-gate governance processes supporting advancement from preclinical research through clinical development.

• Led highly matrixed scientific teams consisting of research scientists, clinicians, statisticians, regulatory specialists, manufacturing experts, and clinical operations professionals.
• Directed scientific strategy for influenza mosaic vaccine programs, overseeing experimental design, data interpretation, and translational decision-making across multiple research groups.
• Influenced organizational strategy by partnering with senior scientific leadership to align research priorities with institutional and public health objectives.
• Fostered collaborative environments that enhanced innovation and improved communication across multidisciplinary organizations.

• Played a leadership role in the Vaccine Research Center's strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Led development of preclinical immunogenicity and serological assays supporting evaluation of the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine program.
• Collaborated with executive leadership to define and execute institutional pandemic response strategies supporting rapid vaccine evaluation and translational development.
• Established CLIA-compliant immunological testing strategies to support vaccine development, clinical research, and regulatory readiness.

• Directed development and validation of translational immunology and serological platforms supporting vaccine research, including ELISA, microneutralization, pseudovirus neutralization, multiplex immunoassays, biophysical characterization, and advanced analytical technologies.
• Oversaw influenza virus production, characterization, epidemiological investigations, and preclinical challenge studies supporting vaccine candidate evaluation.
• Contributed to regulatory strategy through preparation of IND-enabling documentation, scientific reports, regulatory submissions, patent applications, and supporting documentation for FDA interactions.
• Collaborated closely with Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Operations, Quality, Manufacturing, and Biostatistics to ensure successful progression of vaccine candidates.

• Selected for and successfully completed the prestigious NIAID EPIC Executive Leadership Program, recognizing high-potential scientific leadership.
• Mentored and developed multidisciplinary scientific talent, including postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, research fellows, and early-career investigators.
• Authored peer-reviewed scientific publications, patent applications, regulatory submissions, and executive scientific presentations, effectively disseminating research findings to internal and external audiences.
• Served as reviewer and editorial board contributor for leading scientific journals, including mBio, Vaccine, Frontiers in Immunology, and Cell Reports, supporting scientific excellence across the biomedical research community.

• Executive leadership in translational medicine, vaccine research, and clinical development.
• Proven success advancing innovative vaccine candidates from discovery through clinical evaluation.
• Extensive experience leading cross-functional scientific collaborations across research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, and external partners.
• Recognized expertise in pandemic preparedness, influenza biology, translational immunology, vaccine strategy, and scientific innovation.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership, mentor multidisciplinary teams, and translate emerging science into impactful therapeutic development strategies.

• Provided scientific leadership supporting rapid research responses to emerging infectious disease outbreaks, including MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, through development and implementation of CLIA-compliant serological testing strategies.
• Directed and reviewed scientific methodologies, SOPs, and quality processes for preclinical and clinical immunological studies, ensuring regulatory compliance and enhancing scientific rigor.
• Interpreted complex scientific data and translated research findings into actionable recommendations and presentations for scientific leadership, cross-functional teams, and external stakeholders.
• Mentored and developed multidisciplinary research personnel, including postdoctoral fellows, project scientists, post-baccalaureate researchers, and trainees, fostering scientific excellence and organizational capability.
• Authored peer-reviewed publications and contributed to intellectual property development through patent applications supporting innovative vaccine and immunology research.
• Collaborated with research, clinical, and translational teams to advance infectious disease programs and enhance organizational scientific capabilities.

• Lead a team of RSV pathogenesis, mAbs and vaccine design and pre-clinical program in Dr. Anderson lab.
• Nominated and achieved NIH T32 Fellowship at Emory University.
• Supported professional development and qualification of staff, including post-doctorates, post-baccalaureate, project biologists, and summer students, aligning them with preclinical research strategies.
• Expanding knowledge in virology, immunology, vaccinology, in vivo animal models of infections, evaluation of immune responses in pre-clinical studies
• Writing peer-reviewed articles.
• Developed compelling presentations for diverse audiences, effectively communicating complex research findings.
• Completed BSL3 training to handle high-risk pathogens safely