Spheryx Leadership

Laura Philips is the co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spheryx, Inc. She serves on the boards of the Guttmacher Institute, a research institute focused on women’s health, where she is Treasurer; The POGIL Project, a non-profit organization with an innovative approach to science, technology, engineering, and math education backed by NSF and used in over 1000 colleges and universities across the country, and DiamiR, an innovative diagnostics company focused on neurodegenerative disease. She served on the Board of Directors of WellGen, Inc. starting in 2009, and was appointed CEO in May 2012. WellGen, Inc. is an early stage biotech company developing biologically active natural extracts, backed by rigorous science. From 2007-2016 she served on the Board of Directors of Delcath Systems (NASDAQ:DCTH) a biotech company developing chemosaturation treatments for cancer in the liver, where she was chair of the Compensation Committee and served on the Audit Committee. From 2010-2011 Dr. Philips served on the board of directors of China Yongxin Phamaceuticals (OTCBB:CYXN) a leading retailer, wholesaler and distributor of pharmaceuticals and health and beauty products in Northeastern China. From 2003-2006 she was Chair of the Board of Planned Parenthood New York City. From 2003-06 Dr. Philips was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at NexGenix Pharmaceuticals, a niche pharmaceutical start-up company developing products for the treatment of neurofibromatosis and cancer.

She held a variety of executive positions at Corning, Incorporated, from 1997-2002 including director of product development, strategic planning and business manager. Dr. Philips served in the Clinton Administration both as a Fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and as a Presidential Appointee in the position of Senior Policy Advisor to Sec. Ronald Brown in the Dept. of Commerce. She was Congressional Science Fellow and Legislative Advisor for Technology Policy to Sen. Joseph Lieberman in 1994-5. Dr. Philips was on the Faculty of Cornell University in the Dept of Chemistry from 1987-1993. During 1985 – 1987 she was an NIH Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago in the Department of Chemistry. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Cornell University.

David Grier is a Professor of Physics at New York University and Director of NYU's Center for Soft Matter Research. Raised in New York City, Prof. Grier attended Harvard College, where he graduated with high honors in Physics. He received his doctorate in Physics from the University of Michigan in 1989.

After two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Condensed Matter Physics Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories, he accepted a faculty position at the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the Physics Department for twelve years. He moved to New York University in 2004 and served as Department Chair for eight years. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, was awarded a Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering, and was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. He was named one of the Scientific American 50 and one of Discover Magazine's top 20 scientists under 40, and has won undergraduate teaching awards at both NYU and the University of Chicago.

Prof. Grier's research focuses on experimental soft condensed matter physics, a new and rapidly growing interdisciplinary field at the interface between physics, chemistry, biology and nanotechnology. Prof. Grier has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles on basic research in this area, and has been awarded more than fifty U.S. Patents for technology developed in the course of this research. The first commercial implementation of his holographic trapping technology was recognized with an R&D 100 Award in 2000.

David Ruffner, PhD, is Vice-President, Research & Development, Spheryx, Inc. At Spheryx Inc., Dr. Ruffner is leveraging his extensive experience with optical fields and optical scattering to commercialize Total Holographic Characterization®. He attended New York University for his graduate studies in physics, where he worked with Prof. David Grier, and studied optical forces in complex beams of light.

He published papers in peer reviewed journals on the role of polarization in optical force fields and on optical tractor beams using holographic video microscopy, that got widespread press. Dr. Ruffner was awarded a Dean's Dissertation fellowship. Prior to receiving his doctorate at New York University, he studied physics at Rutgers University on a full academic scholarship. In 2009, he graduated with highest honors. While at Rutgers Dr. Ruffner was awarded the Robert L. Sells Memorial Scholarship and the Mary Wheeler Wigner Memorial Scholarship.

David Grier is a Professor of Physics at New York University and Director of NYU's Center for Soft Matter Research. Raised in New York City, Prof. Grier attended Harvard College, where he graduated with high honors in Physics. He received his doctorate in Physics from the University of Michigan in 1989.

After two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Condensed Matter Physics Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories, he accepted a faculty position at the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the Physics Department for twelve years. He moved to New York University in 2004 and served as Department Chair for eight years. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, was awarded a Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering, and was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. He was named one of the Scientific American 50 and one of Discover Magazine's top 20 scientists under 40, and has won undergraduate teaching awards at both NYU and the University of Chicago.

Prof. Grier's research focuses on experimental soft condensed matter physics, a new and rapidly growing interdisciplinary field at the interface between physics, chemistry, biology and nanotechnology. Prof. Grier has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles on basic research in this area, and has been awarded more than fifty U.S. Patents for technology developed in the course of this research. The first commercial implementation of his holographic trapping technology was recognized with an R&D 100 Award in 2000.

Fook C. Cheong is the Chief Technology Officer at Spheryx. Dr. Cheong co-developed holographic techniques for particle tracking, manipulation and characterization while a Post-Doctoral Associate at New York University. Prior to joining Spheryx, Dr. Cheong was an advanced optics design engineer at Thorlabs. Inc. Prior to Thorlabs, he investigated biomechanics of cells and physical properties of colloidal systems at the Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore and the Center for Soft Matter Research at New York University.

He has produced more than 30 international peer-reviewed publications, as well as numerous patent applications. A physicist trained in the areas of condensed matter, optics, nanoscience, and biophysics, he received both his B.S. (Honors) and Ph.D. in Physics from the National University of Singapore. His work on rheological measurements of dental biofilms, label-free binding assays of proteins, 3D tracking of nanowires and microorganisms, optical trapping of nanowires, laser writing of nanomaterials, and optical assembly of DNA colloids are highly regarded and frequently cited.