Our leadership

Leadership team

Emilio L. Cárdenas, PhD

Managing Director of Alma Collaboration

Emilio L Cárdenas, PhD, is the Managing Director of the Alma collaboration, housed in the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He earned his B.A. in Chemistry from California State University, Fresno (2014), Ph.D. in chemistry from Purdue University (2019). Additionally, he has served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan and University of California, Los Angeles.

Cárdenas has conducted research that has spanned from chemical biology to synthetic methodology and catalysis. Specifically, he has led research efforts in the fields of neurodegeneration, oncology, RNA-binding proteins, and multicomponent iron catalyzed cross couplings.

Nadim Shohdy, PhD

COO, Deerfield Discovery and Development

Nadim Shohdy, Ph.D., is the Chief Operating Officer, Deerfield Discovery and Development and joined the Firm in 2024.

Prior to Deerfield, Dr. Shohdy was Vice President, Corporate Development at Hyku Biosciences. Before Hyku Biosciences, Dr. Shohdy served as Entrepreneur in Residence at RA Ventures, a division of RA Capital Management, during which time he also served as Vice President, Corporate Development at Clear Creek Bio. Prior to these roles, Dr. Shohdy spent 10 years at NYU Langone Health in roles of increasing seniority, including most recently as Associate Dean, Therapeutics Alliances. Dr. Shohdy started his career as a Research Associate at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory before serving as a Research Analyst, Innovation Fund at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Dr. Shohdy holds a B.S. in Biology from Stony Brook University and a M.A., M.Phil and Ph.D. in Microbiology from Columbia University.

Lisa Ainsworth, PhD

Interim Director, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Lisa Ainsworth is the Charles Adlai Ewing Chair of Crop Physiology in the Department of Crop Sciences and a Professor of Plant Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She received a BS in Biology from UCLA, PhD in Crop Sciences from Illinois, and was an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow in Germany. Lisa’s research applies physiological, biochemical and genomic tools to understand plant responses to global atmospheric and climate change. She directs the Realizing Improved Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project and the Soybean Free Air Enrichment Facility (SoyFACE), the world’s longest running FACE facility. Lisa received the Charles Albert Shull Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists, the President’s Medal from the Society of Experimental Biology, and was named a University Scholar by Illinois. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Martin D. Burke, M.D., Ph.D., is the May and Ving Lee Professor for Chemical Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Founding Director of the Molecule Maker Lab, and Co-Founder of the Molecule Maker Lab Institute. He earned his B.A. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University, Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University, and M.D. from the Health Sciences and Technology Program at Harvard Medical School and MIT. He also helped launch the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, serving as its inaugural Associate Dean for Research.

Burke pioneered blocc chemistry— iterative carbon–carbon bond formation that is friendly to machines, AI, and anyone. He has co-founded five biotechnology companies—including Revolution Medicines, Sfunga Therapeutics (now Elion Therapeutics), Excelsior Sciences,  Kinesid Therapeutics (acquired by Cajal Therapeutics), and cystetic Medicines—advancing nine drug candidates into clinical trials. 

May and Ving Lee Professor for Chemical Innovation; Professor of Chemistry, Director of the Molecule Maker Lab, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Marty Burke, MD, PhD

William Slattery is a Partner on the Therapeutics team and joined the Firm in 2000. Prior to Deerfield, Mr. Slattery was a senior healthcare analyst for 10 years at Amerindo Investment Advisors, where he oversaw biotechnology investments. He has held various positions in research including those at National Medical Enterprises, Johnson & Johnson, and HMSS. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry from State University of New York at Albany and completed coursework in Immunology at the Graduate School-New Brunswick, Rutgers University.

Partner, Deerfield Management

Bill Slattery