Josh Finkelstein

Resume Bookshelf

Resume

Education

PhD Candidate in Chemical and Biological Engineering

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY — Sept 2020 – Apr 2023

  • GPA: 3.85 / 4.0, Completed all core coursework and qualifying exams
  • Advanced to candidacy, medical leave before dissertation
  • Research: cell-free bioelectrosynthesis of succinate, targeted protein degradation
  • Publication: Finkelstein et al., Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 2022 [Link]
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Northeastern University, Boston, MA — Dec 2018

  • GPA: 3.73 / 4.0
  • Dean’s List, Excellence Scholarship
  • Captain of Northeastern Cycling Team
  • Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Race Organizer

Industry Experience

Research Assistant

Wyss Institute, Boston, MA — Jan – Jul 2019

  • Development of an enzymatic oligonucleotide synthesis process
  • Cloning, site-directed mutagenesis and protein purification
  • Enzyme characterization
  • Programming of automated liquid handling system
Manufacturing Co-op

Continuus Pharmaceuticals, Woburn, MA — Jan – Jun 2017

  • Designed LabVIEW control system for a continuous multi-stage reactive crystallization process
  • Use of automated process analytical tools (PAT) for monitoring of drug substance manufacturing
  • Collected data and performed analysis for scale-up to pilot plant
  • Publication: Chuntian et al., Reaction Chemistry & Engineering , 2018 [Link]
Process Development Co-op

Alkermes Inc., Waltham, MA — Jan – Jul 2016

  • Development of an antisolvent crystallization process for drug substance purification
  • Characterization of crystallization thermodynamics, kinetics and particle size distribution using infrared probe and focused beam reflectance measurement
  • Automated experimental setup to identify operating space of the process using PAT
  • Supported manufacturing of drug for phase III clinical trials
Lab Assistant

Advanced Biomaterials Lab at Northeastern University, Boston, MA — 2015

  • Synthesis of polymers to be used as scaffold components for tissue culture
  • Rheological analysis of crosslinked hydrogels with embedded magnetic nanoparticles for mechanotransduction
  • In-situ stem cell differentiation for the regeneration of cartilage in the human knee

Additional Experience

  • Trail Crew, Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Hinesburg, VT (2013–2015)
  • PSIA Level I Ski Instructor, Mad River Glen, Waitsfield, VT (2009–2014)
  • English as a Second Language Teacher, Guamal, Colombia (2017)
  • Mountain Bike Race Organizer, Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference, Pittsfield, MA (2016)
  • Freeski Coach, Team Summit Colorado, Breckenridge, CO (Nov 2025–Present)
  • Ski Technician, Avalanche Sports, Breckenridge, CO (Oct 2025–Present)

Skills

Programming & Software

AutoCAD, C++, HTML, JavaScript, JMP, LabVIEW, MATLAB, Mettler Toledo LabX, Microsoft Office, Python, SolidWorks

Lab Techniques

Cloning, Control System Hardware & Software Design, Crystallization, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, HPLC, Infrared Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Mutagenesis, Protein Purification, Western Blot, X-Ray Diffraction

Languages

Spanish

Other Interests

Distance Running, Skiing, Cycling, Cooking, Guitar, Reading

Notes

I taught myself how to program in Python using Codecademy and MIT Open Courseware, and how to build websites using HTML, CSS and JavaScript while constructing a working prototype of a video annotation web app as a collaborative education aid.

Through running and other lifestyle modifications, I recovered from a chronic illness that affected me for about eight years. I went from barely being able to run without pain and suffering daily migraine headaches to completing multiple marathons and am hoping to get my first ultramarathon under my belt this year!

Morphogenesis Lab

Experimenting with mathematical models of tissue morphogenesis. Rho-GTPase activity is coordinated across the tissue surface and regulates/is regulated by cytoskeleton dynamics, cell-cell adhesion, curvature and growth. By modeling multiple coupled Rho-GTPases, the resulting dynamics resemble a self-assembling fabric and are mesmerizing in their complexity. Dynamics are modeled by the Ginzburg-Landau equation and Helfrich-Canham membrane mechanics.

Bookshelf

A collection of books that have had a significant impact on my thinking and worldview. This list is not exhaustive, but it represents a diverse range of genres and topics that I find fascinating and thought-provoking. You might like them.

The Winter of Our Discontent

John Steinbeck

Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas Hofstadter

I Am a Strange Loop

Douglas Hofstadter

The Motorcycle Diaries

Ernesto Guevara

The Passenger / Stella Maris

Cormac McCarthy

Children of Time

Adrian Tchaikovsky

Blindsight

Peter Watts

Musicophilia

Oliver Sacks

Synesthesia

Simon Cytowic

Star Maker

Olaf Stapledon

Disturbing the Universe

Freeman Dyson

Regenesis

Ed Regis & George Church

Homo Deus

Yuval Noah Harari

Solaris

Stanisław Lem

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens

War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy

I Am the Messenger

Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

City of Thieves

David Benioff