Biography

Meena Rajagopal is a program officer in NCATS’ Office of Strategic Alliances, where she manages a portfolio of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grants and contracts. In this role, she is involved in SBIR/STTR outreach activities and serves as an alternate member of the NCATS Small Business Programs Management Committee. Meena is an experienced translational research scientist and has worked in academia and several research institute laboratories in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Before joining NCATS, Meena was a scientist at the NIH Clinical Center and carried out translational proteomics research in partnership with investigators at Tulane University. Prior to working at the Clinical Center, she was a research specialist at Georgetown University, where she coordinated various metabolomics research projects at the metabolomics facility within the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Meena received both her Master of Science and doctorate in chemistry from the University of Kentucky and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Professional Interests

Meena is enthusiastic about facilitating technological innovations through the SBIR/STTR program within the Office of Strategic Alliances and working with small business entrepreneurs to bring their bold ideas to fruition more quickly. She enjoys coaching kids at the elementary school in her community for the VA Science Olympiad competition.