Scientific Leadership
Key members of Unigen’s Executive Leadership actively participate on our Scientific Leadership Team. Their extensive clinical and industry experience creates a core foundation for the overall Scientific Leadership Team.
Chief Scientific Officer
Mesfin Yimam, DVM, MS.
Senior Director of Research & Development
Dr. Mesfin Yimam serves as Senior Director of Research & Development at Unigen, where he provides strategic leadership for the company’s research, intellectual property, regulatory, and scientific communication initiatives. Since joining Unigen in 2004, he has played a pivotal role in advancing the discovery, development, and commercialization of science-backed botanical ingredients for joint health, metabolic health, sleep, cognitive health, immune health, and healthy aging.
In his current role, Dr. Yimam coordinates scientific strategy across product innovation, global regulatory programs, patent portfolio development, and technical support for commercial partners. He works closely with research institutions, regulatory agencies, patent counsel, and industry collaborators to translate scientific discoveries into commercially successful products.
As a scientist in natural product research, Dr. Yimam has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, is a co-inventor on more than 50 issued and pending global patents, and has presented his research at leading international scientific conferences. He serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Aloe Science Council.
Dr. Yimam earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and successfully passed the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) examination in Washington State. He later earned a Master of Science in Pharmaceutics from the University of Washington.
Mei Hong, BS.
QA Manager & Senior Scientist
Ms. Hong joined Unigen in September of 1998 as a Scientist in the Natural Products department. She brought with her an impressive portfolio of experience in both organic and inorganic chemistry. Hong received her Bachelor’s degree in Science with honors in Chemistry from Fujian Normal University in China.
She is currently responsible for maintaining Unigen’s extensive plant library, called PhytoLogix®, and bioassay-guided fractionation and compound isolation. Hong leads a team of research associates in extract generation and high throughput fractionation of the PhytoLogix® library. Her work has been published in over a dozen peer-reviewed journals, and the SOP’s she has developed continue to guide the natural product research Unigen conducts.