M. Alexander Shaw

As CEO of Archimedic, Alex sets the strategic direction of the firm leading in operations, human resources, investments, and special projects.

Alex’s career journey has included stops in muscle biochemistry, protein analysis, drug development and medical device development.

Alex earned dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Duke University, followed by his PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Washington State University, where he studied the mechanism by which muscle turns the chemical energy of ATP in to mechanical energy. He then went on to an American Heart Association post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania where he used novel fluoroscopy techniques to visualize single molecules of the muscle protein myosin undergo the structural changes that lead to muscle contraction.

Alex continued to focus on protein chemistry during periods at Amersham Biosciences (now part of GE Healthcare), Thomas Jefferson University, and Hitachi. During this time, Alex became an expert in protein expression analysis (proteomics), as well as protein mass spectrometry and other protein analytical methods. During this period, he was also introduced to the business side of biological research in various business development support roles at both Amersham and Hitachi.

In 2009, Alex combined his biochemistry, protein chemistry, and business development skills and joined his business partner on a 12-year journey building a drug development consulting company, Nuventra Pharma Sciences, from a two-person operation to a 125-person full service clinical pharmacology consulting firm. In addition to his scientific responsibilities, Alex was responsible for the financial operations (proposal development, invoicing, payroll, accounting, etc.), human resources, (recruiting, benefits, diversity and inclusion, career development and training, employee experience, etc.), and project management divisions of the company. He and his business partner sold Nuventra Pharma Sciences in 2021.

Directly prior to assuming the CEO role at Archimedic, Alex was CEO of Prolifagen Therapeutics for two years, leading the company in development of PRO-302, a microRNA-302 based therapeutic indicated to reduce the prevalence of heart failure in patients after suffering myocardial infarction.

Alex lives in Downingtown, PA with his wife, 4 daughters, dog, 2 cats, and too many fish. When he’s not in the office or helping his girls with math, Alex spends as much time outside as possible. Running, hiking, skiing, swimming and cycling are his go-to activities. He also enjoys entrepreneurship, and is an active member of Robin Hood Ventures, a Philadelphia-based angel investing group.