Dr. Nirupama (Rupa) Shevde is the Customer Training Manager in the Primary and Stem Cell Systems group at Life Technologies. She obtained her doctorate at Harvard University and her postdoctoral training at USCD and Ligand Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, CA. She has extensive experience in both mouse and human pluripotent stem cell research and served as a Senior Scientist and Director of Education at WiCell Research Institute and Morgridge Institute for Research since 2005 until July 2012. Under the scientific leadership of Dr. James Thomson, Rupa developed the Stem Cell Training Course which has served over 800 scientists from 32 US states and 20 countries. Most recently, Rupa was able to work in Dr. Thomson’s laboratory and gain expertise in the novel Essential 8™ Medium, Vitronectin (VTN-N) substrate and non-integrating episomal reprogramming technology developed by Dr. James Thomson and marketed by Life Technologies.