Francisco started at Merck in 2013 as part of the competitive Merck Manufacturing Development Rotational Program, gaining experience across late stage drug product development, procurement, and drug substance development. Currently he is working in the Chemical Engineering Research and Development Project team in Rahway, New Jersey. He is responsible for the development, scale-up, and commercialization of drug substance processes, from initial introduction during phase I clinical trials through to launch. Francisco has leveraged the experience he gained as an operations engineer in the Small Scale Organic pilot plant to successfully tech transfer his current project to external and internal commercial facilities in preparation for validation demonstrations. His process development experience has covered standard processes including reaction optimization, flow chemistry, liquid-liquid extractions, distillations, and crystallizations. A unique development opportunity while working in the particle engineering lab involved continuous isolation of redispersible nano crystalline active pharmaceutical ingredients, which was awarded a patent. Prior to Joining Merck, Francisco spent 8 years of active military duty with the US Navy before earning his B.S in Chemical Engineering from the City University of New York – City College in 2012. Francisco currently lives in Jersey City, NJ with his wife Jessica, daughter Danielle, and son Nathan.