Entrepreneurship Opportunities

The Entrepreneur in Residence Program (EIR) is a 1-3 year opportunity for individuals to join and work on selected CTeD projects. Candidates will be chosen according to matched skills, backgrounds and aspirations. The EIR program allows Fellows in training to use their professional and academic experience to help drive our projects forward while also acquiring new and valuable experiences in biotech development and start-ups. CTeD recruits one EIR per start-up project. We encourage entrepreneurs to contact us to explore opportunities of working together to develop new technologies and create companies that will impact healthcare and the economy, both locally and globally.

Past and Current Entrepreneurs

Brian O'Dwyer

Brian is the Commercial Founder and Executive Chairman of CognaLearn, which is a successful spinoff from the Duke-NUS InteLearn methodology, started by Brian when he was an EIR with CTeD. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asia in Singapore and has appeared as an Aviation Analyst on Channel NewsAsia. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA in Finance from Duke University. He is the President of the Duke University Alumni Club of Singapore and a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors.

Mahmood Ahmed



Mahmood has 15 years of experience in Drug Discovery and Development in large pharmaceutical companies. He is motivated to help deliver commercially viable platforms and therapeutics, which will ultimately address unmet medical needs. As a CTeD EIR, Mahmood has worked closely with Professor David Silver to help formulate the scientific and business plan for a biotech startup, as well as prepared and delivered pitch to potential investors. Travecta Therapeutics Pte Ltd was founded as a start-up based on a drug delivery platform resulting from Professor David Silver's research. Mahmood is currently the Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Travecta Therapeutics.

Gayatri Sharma

Gayatri was previously Executive Director of Yukti Bioscience Pte Ltd, and prior to this a Programme Manager at Cell Therapy Catapult. She was also an Intellectual Property Manager with Isis Innovation Ltd. She has more than 10 years of technology transfer and commercialization experience including analyses of medical need, market opportunity, regulatory pathway, reimbursement strategy, and exclusivity through intellectual property protection. As a CTeD EIR, Gayatri helped review and analyse Duke-NUS' research programme around laminin technologies, and formulated a strategy for commercial development.


Anna Chase



Anna’s background is in biochemistry and structural biology, corporate venture investing, and strategic development. As an EIR in Duke-NUS, she worked on several different translational projects, helping to determine whether or not the underlying technologies could form the basis of commercial ventures. While in Singapore, also immersed herself in the country’s evolving biotechnology ecosystem.


Candida Braithwaite



Candida (Candy) Braithwaite is the Managing Director of Biopharmax, a Singapore based consultancy that works with organisations in the life science and health care sector providing commercialisation, strategy and business development expertise. She has more than two decades of experience in building and running biotechnology and life science businesses. Prior to Biopharmax, she held senior executive roles at some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies including Shire and Wyeth/Pfizer. As an EIR in Duke-NUS, Candy worked closely with Professor William Hwang to develop the commercialisation and fundraising plan for a potential biotech start-up, based on a technology that can expand umbilical cord blood cells with a small molecule.