Executive Management

Matthew Kane – Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Kane, a co-founder of Precision BioSciences, Inc., has served as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors since its formation in 2005.  Mr. Kane brings a wealth of life science business development and technical experience.  Previously, Mr. Kane was an integral part of Suros Surgical Systems, a venture-backed, breast cancer-focused firm.  Suros was acquired in 2006 for an upfront payment of $240 million after generating $30 million in revenue during 2005.  Mr. Kane has also worked with two seed stage venture capital firms.  He holds an M.S. in Bio Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an MBA from Duke University.

Jeff Smith, Ph.D. – Chief Science Officer
Jeff Smith, Ph.D. has 12 years of experience in the field of protein engineering.  Previously, he was a Scientist at the Duke University Medical Center where he developed novel approaches to protein engineering and synthetic biology.  Dr. Smith is the co-inventor on multiple patents and has published numerous papers on the characterization and utilization of engineered meganucleases and biosensors.  He holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Biology from Franklin and Marshall College.  Dr. Smith received his Ph.D. in Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University for characterizing and advancing the use of zinc finger nucleases in stimulating homologous recombination.

Derek Jantz, Ph.D. – Vice President, Scientific Development
Derek Jantz, Ph.D. has 11 years of experience as a protein engineer.  He received his B.A. in Biology from the University of Colorado and then spent two years working as a research associate.  Dr. Jantz received his Ph.D. from the Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University for characterizing the DNA-binding characteristics of synthetic zinc finger proteins.  This work established his expertise in the field of Protein-DNA interactions.  Previously, Dr. Jantz was a Ruth R. Kirschstein Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at the Duke University Medical Center where he pursued his interest in rational protein design.  He has published numerous scientific reports and is co-inventor on the patent application covering Precision BioSciences’ core technology.  Dr. Jantz also serves on the Board of Directors.

Sean Demeule – Vice President, Finance
Sean Demeule has served as Precision BioSciences’ Vice President, Finance since the inception of the firm in 2005.  Mr. Demeule earned a B.S. in Political Science from the United States Military Academy (West Point) and served as an Army Officer for over nine years.  As an Aviation Officer, Airfield Commander, and Apache Helicopter Pilot, Mr. Demeule gained deep experience in leadership, operations, and financial management.  He is an experienced financial manager and has handled multi-million dollar annual budgets and capital equipment valued at over $40 million.  Previously, Mr. Demeule was an Airfield Commander, responsible for managing the safe operation of over 120 attack helicopters.  Mr. Demeule also holds an M.S. in Public Administration from Central Michigan University and an MBA from Duke University.

Todd Melby – Vice President, Operations
Todd Melby has served as Precision BioSciences’ Vice President, Operations since 2006.  Mr. Melby has 6 years of experience as an Operations Management Consultant with Accenture and specialized in improving operational efficiencies at several Fortune 500 companies.  He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.  Mr. Melby also holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Michael Nicholson, Ph.D. – Director of Cell Biology
Michael Nicholson, Ph.D., has several years of experience in virology and viral immunology.  Dr. Nicholson received his B.S. in Chemistry from the State University of New York, College at Brockport.  He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for the discovery and characterization of a novel simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) protein.  Prior to joining Precision BioSciences in 2007, Dr. Nicholson served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Carolina Vaccine Institute at the University of North Carolina, where he studied alphavirus-induced mucosal immune responses.  Dr. Nicholson has published several scientific reports in leading virology and immunology journals.