Karen Tarman

About Karen Tarman

As a graduate with a chemical engineering degree at Washington University in St. Louis, I am passionate about applying my knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems in the pharmaceutical industry.I have research experience in heavy metal compound analysis and population-based research under Dr. Jay Turner, where I isolated manganese compounds from hair samples and developed quantitative relationships between manganese concentration, distance from a smelter, and the prevalence and severity of parkinsonism. I also interned at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where I contributed to upstream process development, bioreactor operation, data analysis, and aseptic procedures. My technical skills include MATLAB, MS Excel, JMP, and Java.I am eager to be in the Engineer I role in the Injectable Drug Product Development department at Alexion Pharmaceuticals. I am excited to have the opportunity to learn new technologies and methodologies to enhance my capabilities and impact on the rare disease space.

Experience

1. Engineer i

   Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

   Jul 2024 — Present · New Haven, CT, US

   Design and execute over 10 formulation screening and stability studies for injectable drug products including protein and peptide modalities.• Design scale-up studies to define drug product processes including mixing, filling, and filtration parameters for successful technology transfer to external manufacturing sites.• Perform analytical testing (e.g, pH, osmolality, density, viscosity, SEC, MFI, HIAC) for various stages of cycle development, interpreting results to guide process optimization.• Author over 20 experimental protocols, data summaries, and technical reports to support technology transfer and regulatory submissions, including BLA and NDA documentation for Alexion injectable products.• Utilize analytical software tools including JMP and Empower for data analysis and generate graphs for product quality attributes, providing clear visuals that inform teams and support data-driven decision making.• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) for the Colanar in-house filling system, optimizing filling process parameters, supporting equipment qualification, and supporting the filling of development batches.• Execute over 3 experiments on Pion SCISSOR N3 instrument to generate release and transmission profiles of Alexion drug products that simulate subcutaneous space behavior and can be used to model and predict bioavailability.

Education

• Libertyville High School

  High School Diploma

• Washington University in St. Louis

  Bachelor's degree, Chemical Engineering