CEO, Creative Protein Solutions

Daria Venkova is the 2020 Arch Awards recipient for Early Career Achievement. Learn more here.

President and founder, FredSense Technologies

During her time in the BHSc program, Hicks led various technical teams to the world stage including a genetic engineering competition at MIT. Hicks received the 2019 UCalgary ARCH Early Career Achievement Award and has also been selected as a Kairos Society Fellow as well as Top 30 under 30 recipient in Canada. She currently leads FREDsense in technical development and research and development.  

Dr. Tucker has executive experience with privately held and publicly listed biotech companies, having served as CEO for six biotech companies over the past 20 years, two of which he took public on the TSX. Prior to that, Tucker was a Healthcare Analyst with two investment banks and has also worked in technology commercialization for a University Technology Transfer Office.  Tucker has raised more than $50 million for start-up biotech companies in both private and public markets.   

Jacque-Lynne Johnson is an alumna of the University of Calgary (BSc CMMB, MSc Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with Dr. Paul Mains). She obtained her PhD from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, investigating the role of hedgehog signaling in muscle development; followed by post-doctoral research in ciliary sensory signaling at Simon Fraser University. In addition to her post-doctoral research, she took advantage of professional development opportunities at SFU that piqued her interest in intellectual property and a career outside the lab. At Innovate Calgary, Jacque-Lynne provided strategic direction for innovations in life and health sciences, assessing technologies for patentability and commercial potential, guiding innovators towards licensing or StartUp routes. Most recently, as Director of Operations at Willow Biosciences, Jacque-Lynne was involved in daily scientific activities, managed contracts, IP disclosures and the company patent portfolio.