New Approach Methodologies: Scientific Advisory Board

Our Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board drives our commitment to advancing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) by developing scalable strategies for regulatory acceptance and implementation. Led by Dr. Namandjé Bumpus, the Scientific Advisory Board focuses on integrating NAMs technologies and compatible testing platforms across therapeutic, preventive, and chemical substances. These innovative approaches include in vitro models, in silico techniques, and in chemico methods, modern solutions designed to accelerate safe, effective treatments for patients.

Our Scientific Advisory Board Members

Namandjé Bumpus, PhD
Namandjé Bumpus is Senior Vice President, Chief Scientific & Innovation Officer and chair of Charles River’s Scientific Advisory Board, providing strategic guidance to advance Charles River’s commercial and regulatory initiatives focused on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in the biopharmaceutical industry. Namandjé previously served at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, joining in 2022 as Chief Scientist and later as Principal Deputy Commissioner until December 2024. Before her tenure at the FDA, she was Professor and Director of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a past president of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Steven Bulera, PhD DABT
Steven Bulera is vice-chair of Charles River’s Scientific Advisory Board and Corporate Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer of Discovery and Safety Assessment. He brings 30 years of research experience, including over a decade in the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Charles River, Steven served as Associate Director in the Department of Drug Safety Evaluation at Bristol-Myers Squibb for four years. Prior to that, he spent seven years with Pfizer Global Research & Development. Earlier in his career, Steven completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Henry Pitot at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.

Matthew Hewitt, BA, PhD
Matthew Hewitt is vice-chair of Charles River’s Scientific Advisory Board and Vice President, Technical Officer for the Manufacturing Business Division at Charles River, where he drives strategic vision and leads operational initiatives across Charles River’s Advanced Therapeutic CDMO sites, Biologics Testing, and Microbial Solutions global network. Previously, he headed R&D and Clinical Development for Lonza’s Personalized Medicine Business Unit, directed the Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment (TIME) program at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, and served as Associate Director of the Immunology group at the University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program. Matthew earned his BA in Molecular Biology from Goucher College and his PhD in Biophysics and Physiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Thierry Basset , PharmD, MSc
Thierry Basset is Head of Laboratories at Charles River Discovery and Safety Assessment, where he leads scientific and operational strategies to advance drug development and safety evaluation. A Pharmacist and Biologist by training, Thierry brings specialized expertise in pharmacology, toxicology, and analytical sciences. With over 15 years of experience in clinical biology at a leading university hospital, he has made significant contributions to academic research in pharmacology, focusing on immunosuppressant and anticoagulant drugs, and has developed advanced in vitro models. Thierry is also a recognized expert in forensic toxicology.

Lauren Black, PhD
Lauren Black is a Distinguished Scientist at Charles River with 35 years of experience in drug development, specializing in first-in-human studies and accelerated translational research. A former FDA reviewer in CDER and CBER, she contributed to key guidance on human doses, and reviewed novel agents like oligos, gene therapy and monoclonals. Lauren held leadership roles on BIO’s BioSafe committee and served on multiple advisory panels focused on toxicology, regulatory strategy, high risk trials, and reduced animal use. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University and her PhD in Pharmacology/Toxicology from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

Samuel Chuang, BS, PhD
Samuel Chuang is the Executive Director of Scientific Advisory Services, providing scientific and regulatory expertise covering a variety of drug classes (small to large molecule, advanced therapies etc.,), therapeutic areas, routes of administration, and animal species. He also manages multidisciplinary research teams for multiple drug development programs from target identification and drug discovery to nonclinical safety programs through to market approval. Sam has a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, and a Bachelor of Science degree in honors Biology from the University of Western Ontario. He is also a member of the American Society of Toxicology and American College of Toxicology.

Colin S. Dunn , PhD
Colin S. Dunn, is Corporate Senior Vice President of Global Research Models and Services at Charles River, overseeing worldwide operations. He earned his Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Glasgow and a PhD in HIV-1 pathogenesis from Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. Colin’s career spans leadership roles in veterinary practice, virus diagnostics, and pharmaceutical research, including positions at the Institute for Animal Health and Pfizer. He joined Charles River in 2008 and has held senior leadership roles across Europe, Asia, and globally. Colin has also contributed to scientific and animal welfare initiatives, serving as Editor of Laboratory Animals and on panels for the UK Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research Council and NC3Rs.

Mark Mintz
Mark Mintz is Corporate Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer & Global Shared Services at Charles River. Since joining the company in 2021, he has led technology and shared services to advance its strategic goals. With 30 years of experience in technology-enabled solutions and transformation, Mark specializes in building service organizations, delivering enterprise and digital software, and driving agile approaches. Before Charles River, he was a founding member of McKinsey & Company’s digital labs and a leader in enterprise architecture, guiding clients through large-scale digital and technology transformations. He also held roles at DoubleClick and Accenture. Mark holds a BS in Business Administration, Finance, and MIS from SUNY Albany.

Workstream Co-Leads

The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) plays a pivotal role in shaping and strengthening our scientific strategy, bringing together leading external experts to provide independent insight, challenge thinking, and ensure the highest standards of rigor. Closely connected to this is a set of focused workstreams that translate SAB guidance into action, advancing key priorities, generating evidence, and driving measurable progress. Together, the SAB and workstreams create a dynamic, collaborative ecosystem where strategic vision and hands-on execution continuously inform one another, accelerating innovation and helping deliver meaningful impact in NAMs.