Ekta has over 20 years of industry experience, along with 4 patents and 14 publications and is recognized for being visionary thought leader and driving new technologies and innovation. In her current role as Head of Material Science, she is leading the technical support for selection, characterization, and performance of raw materials used in manufacturing and analytical testing for all biologics programs at Gilead. Before joining Gilead, she was at Genentech and led the material science program for cell therapy with a focus on understanding, controlling and qualifying materials for cell therapy using science and risk-based approach. In her previous roles, she led the technical regulatory team for global filing of initial market application for Phesgo, the first Genentech fixed dose combination monoclonal antibody, lead projects in a wide range of areas, both upstream and downstream, including commercial manufacturing support, process development, and new technology evaluations. Before joining Genentech, Ekta was a process engineer at Merck, working on vaccines and process operations. She holds Chemical Engineering degrees from the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Punjab, India and Bucknell University, Pennsylvania.