Daniel Nelson

About Daniel Nelson

Engineering Executive | R&D Strategy | Microfluidic Systems & Precision MedicineI am a Strategic Engineering Leader with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of analytical chemistry, hardware automation, and biotechnology. My career is defined by a commitment to \"Technical Productization\"—the rigorous process of evolving early-stage \"breadboard\" prototypes into sophisticated, fully integrated, and commercial-ready diagnostic systems.Most recently, as Senior Director of Engineering and a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) at Xilis, Inc, I played a foundational role in scaling the organization from its infancy to an 80+ employee enterprise. I led the Hardware Engineering department through the strategic integration of Automation and Process Engineering teams, directing the evolution of five generations of core microfluidic instrumentation (MOSgen).My core expertise includes- Executive Strategy: Leading technical due diligence for strategic transactions and aligning engineering roadmaps with high-level business and clinical milestones- Complex System Integration: Orchestrating the transition of manual laboratory protocols into automated, robust, and reliable microfluidic devices- Fiscal & Grant Leadership: Managing high-impact R&D projects with budgets up to $2.5M and serving as the Principal Investigator for a $2.5M NIH/NCI SBIR award- Operational Excellence: Implementing Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles and managing global vendor/CMO ecosystems to ensure production scalability.I am passionate about building high-performance teams and delivering innovative hardware solutions that empower the future of precision oncology and the biosciences.

Experience

1. Senior Director, Engineering

   Xilis

   Jun 2025 — Present

   Member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT)As Senior Director, I served on the Executive Leadership Team to align our engineering roadmap with critical corporate strategy and potential strategic transactions. I directed the final stages of our core hardware productization, leading a unified Hardware Engineering department that I formed by merging the Automation and Process Engineering teams. My focus was on transforming a high-complexity R&D platform into a robust, commercial-ready system capable of scaling precision oncology globally.Key Executive Contributions:Strategic Transactions: Led technical due diligence and onsite demonstrations for potential acquirers, ensuring the defensibility and scalability of our proprietary platform were clearly communicated.Departmental Integration: Incorporated three engineering disciplines into one team to eliminate R&D silos and accelerate the product development lifecycle.SBIR Leadership: Continued as Principal Investigator for a $2.5M NIH/NCI grant, overseeing the final integration of manual MOS generation into a fully automated, user-centric instrument.

Education

• University of Virginia

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Analytical Chemistry

  2010 — 2016

• Colorado State University

  B.S., Chemistry

  2006 — 2010

Skills

• Nmr
• Mass Spectrometry
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Electrochemistry
• Research
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Microsoft Excel
• Purification
• Opto-Mechanical Design
• Gel Electrophoresis
• Organic Chemistry
• Analysis
• Chemistry
• Fluorescence Microscopy
• Pcr
• Hplc
• Microscopy
• Teaching
• Microsoft Office
• Laser-Induced Fluorescence
• Electrophoresis
• Uv/Vis
• Microfluidics