MANAGEMENT TEAM

Robert Baker, PhD, Senior Vice President and Director of IITRI, is an experienced virologist, microbiologist and molecular biologist having more than 20 years of experience in infectious disease research. Dr. Baker earned his BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona where he also earned his PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Dr. Baker has served as the Director of IITRI since 2024.

Dr. Baker previously oversaw the infectious disease and biodefense program at IITRI that includes the operation of Animal Biosafety Level-2 and -3 (ABSL-2/3) containment laboratories for research conducted with highly pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and select agents.

Dr. Baker’s background includes high-level positions at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Before joining IITRI in 2015, Dr. Baker was Director of Preclinical Microbiology and Immunotoxicology for a major respiratory research CRO. As Director for Research and Development at ATCC, he was Principal Investigator on their Biodefense and Emerging Infections (BEI) and Influenza Reagent Resource (IRR) programs.

He has over 60 research publications, government reports and posters/presentations. Professional affiliations include the American Society for Microbiology, American Society for Virology, International Society for Antiviral Research, International Society for Infectious Diseases and the American Biological Safety Association.

Todd Bucciarelli, MBA, is the Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for IITRI. Mr. Bucciarelli has had roles in both executive management and business development within the biotech and drug development industries for over 20 years. He has extensive experience in preclinical development of small molecule and biologic drugs.

He and his team work closely with sponsors, consultants and their manufacturing partners to ensure comprehensive IND-enabling programs are executed to meet both regulatory guidelines and timelines.

Mr. Bucciarelli received his BS degree from the University of St. Francis and his MBA degree from Northern Illinois University. He is co-author of 3 US patents on protein expression technologies for biologics drug development.

Thomas L. Horn, PhD, DABT, is the Assistant Vice President and Manager of  the Toxicology Division of IITRI.  Dr. Horn received his BS in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his PhD in Toxicology from the University of Minnesota.  A board-certified toxicologist since 2005, Dr. Horn’s primary research activities are in the areas of preclinical toxicology of small molecules and vaccines or other biologics.

Dr. Horn joined the IITRI staff in 2001 and has served as a Study Director for government (NCI, NIAID, NCATS, NTP/NIEHS, and DoD) and commercial sponsors on several hundred acute, subchronic, carcinogenicity, and reproductive studies involving rodents and rabbits, all utilizing multiple routes of compound administration.  Dr. Horn previously served as co-Principal Investigator and Study Director on a large NIAID contract entitled “In vitro Animal Models for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biodefense” that focused on the conduct of a series of GLP-compliant vaccine safety studies in in mice, rats, and rabbits to treat or prevent various infectious disease indications.  He also served as IITRI Study Director for toxicology and carcinogenicity studies of cell phone radiofrequency fields performed for the NTP/NIEHS.  He is currently serving as Principal Investigator on other NIH toxicology contracts.

Dr. Horn is a member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) and is a member of various IITRI committees including IACUC (alternate chair), Radiation Safety, and Biological Safety.

Sudhakar Parthasarathy, PhD, MBA, is the Analytical Chemistry Division Manager and has obtained his PhD at University of Illinois at Chicago and MBA from Wright State University. He has over 19+ years of experience leading various Analytical and Process development teams in CDMO, CRO, Pharmaceuticals and diagnostic industries.  Prior to Joining IITRI, Sudhakar has worked in Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Sigma-Aldrich (Millipore Sigma) and Abbott Laboratories with increasing responsibilities.   He has experience working with small therapeutic molecules, bio-organics, recombinant proteins (monoclonal antibodies and antigens), polyclonals, peptides, and amorphous materials. He has collaborated with instrument vendors for product improvements and applications in bringing in new technologies to the market.

Sudhakar has deep understanding of analytical test method development, tech transfer requirements, method validation, quality control, requirements for regulatory submissions, and program management in a GLP and cGMP environments. He has published over 40+ high impact research articles and posters in understanding the mechanism of cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and in areas of drug development. His core expertise includes molecular spectroscopy, bio and immune assays and chromatography. He has brought in several new analytical technologies to improve cost, sensitivity and process efficiency in both upstream and downstream drug discovery processes.

David L. McCormick, PhD, DABT, is the President Emeritus and Senior Advisor of IITRI, and Professor of Biology at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).

Joining the IITRI staff in 1979 and the IIT faculty in 1982, Dr. McCormick had served as Director of IITRI from 2002-2024. Dr. McCormick received his AB degree in Biology/Chemistry from Middlebury College, and his MS and PhD degrees in Environmental Medicine/Biology from New York University. A board-certified toxicologist, Dr. McCormick’s primary research activities are in the areas of experimental toxicology, pharmacology, and carcinogenesis.

Over the past 35 years, Dr. McCormick has served as Principal Investigator on approximately 50 grants and contracts awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), with total funding awards of more than $80 million. He has also led a broad range of preclinical drug development programs for sponsors in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Dr. McCormick has published more than 250 research papers, abstracts, reviews, and book chapters. He is currently a member of the Editorial Boards of three scientific journals (Toxicology, Nutrition and Cancer, and Public Library of Science–One), and regularly serves on review committees for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funding agencies.

Professional affiliations include the American Association for Cancer Research, International Association for Breast Cancer Research, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, Society of Toxicology, Society of Toxicology (Midwest Regional Chapter), and Society of Toxicology (Carcinogenesis Specialty Section).