Sandra Wells, PhD

Dr. Sandra Wells directs CTSI's Office of Discovery and Translation (ODAT), which accelerates the process of bench-to-bedside translation in a coordinated, University-wide effort. ODAT supports innovative research with a high likelihood of translational success. Dr. Wells was hired to help establish the office in early 2012 and operationally led ODAT as Assistant Director for ten years before being named Director in 2022.  

Dr. Wells is a research scientist with considerable experience in both academia and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. She has held several positions in regulatory affairs, clinical development, and medical affairs at companies including Block Drug Company, Inc., ASTA Medica GmbH, and Amgen, Inc. She returned to academic research in 2005 and established an NIH-funded research laboratory as a faculty member at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Her research focused on identifying the mechanisms and potential treatments for respiratory diseases. She was awarded several NIH grants, including a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant to develop a novel peptide therapeutic for the treatment of asthma.

Dr. Wells holds a Ph.D. in immunology from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her postdoctoral work at the National Institutes of Health in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.