Speakers
Shana Usery,Sr. Manager, Process Engineering,
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Shana Usery, Ph.D. is a Senior Manager in Manufacturing Sciences and Technology at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she leads a team of 45—60 engineers and scientists supporting upstream and downstream process activities across clinical and commercial biologics manufacturing. With over 11 years of experience in biologics process development, technology transfer, process validation, and manufacturing, Shana has played a key role in scaling operations and enabling efficient, compliant production strategies.
Throughout her career, Shana has led initiatives focused on platform development, process optimization, and capacity expansion, including serving as the scientific lead for implementing In-Line Conditioning (ILC) and automated buffer preparation at the St. Louis site. She regularly collaborates cross-functionally and with clients to address technical challenges, support regulatory readiness, and drive continuous improvement.
Shana holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Missouri—St. Louis and brings a strong blend of technical expertise, operational leadership, and partnership-driven problem-solving to her work.
Ciara Jones,Manager Manufacturing Planning,
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Ciara began her career at Thermo Fisher as a temporary employee in May 2017. During her time here she has continuously advanced her career moving from a temporary employee to a permanent technician, then Lead Formulation Tech into Supervisor, and Manager of Buffers and Media. In her time, she has focused on finding a better way every day. She was a key stakeholder in the implementation of the ILC Skid for buffer formulation within her department. This has increased the capacity and output within the site.
Ciara recently made a career change from manufacturing to Manager of Manufacturing Planning.