Biography

Leah Tolosa Croucher is a program officer in NCATS’ Office of Special Initiatives, where she manages Small Business Innovation Research grants and cooperative agreements. Prior to joining NCATS in May 2020, she was a research professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Tolosa Croucher served as the assistant director of the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST), where she conducted innovative research as a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on projects externally funded by NIH, the Department of Defense, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, GE Healthcare, and Becton, Dickinson and Company, as well as on projects funded internally by UMBC and University of Maryland, Baltimore. At CAST, she managed and mentored early-career investigators, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students and, occasionally, high school researchers. Tolosa Croucher also collaborated with chemists, biologists and chemical, biological, mechanical and electrical engineers to develop technology platforms for bioprocess and biomedical applications. She is applying these experiences to her current activities at NCATS. She has published more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Tolosa Croucher received her doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Connecticut and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in chemistry from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.

Research Topics

Tolosa Croucher’s research interests are focused on diagnostic assays, processes and devices for patient care or biotech application, with the long-term view of product development and commercialization. Application of Good Manufacturing Practices and U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory requirements for devices and drugs are important in these pursuits.