Page 12 - October 2026 Insider

INSIDER October 2026

Scholar Alumni – Where Are They Now?... Page 12
Continued from Page 11

Jonathan Melnick, PhD (2005-2006, Scripps Research) is currently
VP of Research at Ray Therapeutics in Berkeley, California. Founded
in 2021, Ray Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company
developing best-in-class vision restoration therapies for people with
degenerative retinal diseases independent of genetic mutation.
Dr. Melnick has over 15 years of experience in the biotechnology
industry, with a focus on platform development in the fields of high
throughput biology and gene therapy. He received his bachelor’s
degree from Cornell University in Chemistry and Biology, and his PhD in 2006 from Scripps
Research.

Dr. Melnick specializes in a multidisciplinary approach to platform refinement and optimization,
combining the principles of chemical biology with next generation sequencing (NGS) and
bioinformatics/machine learning. His career has focused on early stage biotechs, where he has
established teams and brought in new capabilities to expand academic platforms into industrial
discovery engines.

ARCS Calendar of Events

2026
NOVEMBER
Tuesday, November 10 – Field Trip to SBP Medical Discovery Institute
Sunday, November 15 – Scholar Picnic (Rachel Collins’ home)
Tuesday, November 17 – Board Meeting (via Zoom)

DECEMBER
Sunday, December 13 – Holiday Party
Tuesday, December 15 – Board Meeting (via Zoom)

2027
JANUARY
Tuesday, January 19 – Board Meeting (via Zoom)
Tuesday, January 26 – Winter General Meeting (La Jolla Country Club)