Michael L. Metzker, Ph.D. - Founder, President, and CEO

Dr. Metzker has over 20 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as well as with leading academic institutions. He is currently an Associate Professor of Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Rice University. Dr. Metzker has served as an expert witness for several HIV criminal cases, presenting a breakthrough method of phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 DNA sequences, which resulted in multiple convictions. During his career, he has held senior-level research positions with Merck Research Laboratories and Applied Biosystems. He received his B.S. from the University of California at Davis (1984) and his Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX (1996). Dr. Metzker has published over 30 research papers in leading scientific journals, authored numerous book chapters, and obtained multiple patents. Dr. Metzker’s combination of strong academic and industrial experience provides LaserGen with proven scientific skills and a credible connection to the target customer base.

David Hertzog, Ph.D. - Vice President, Business Development

Dr. Hertzog joined LaserGen in 2008. From 2006-2008, David was a senior associate at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, leading projects and managing client teams for several Fortune 500 companies in technology program planning, growth strategy, and product portfolio assessments. From 2001-2006, Dr. Hertzog developed microfluidic technologies for bioassay applications in the Biosecurity and Nanosciences Lab at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA. He received his B.S. from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY (1999) and his M.S. (2001) and Ph.D. (2006) from Stanford University in Stanford, CA.