Richard Freeman, PhD
Senior Scientific Sales Consultant
Senior Scientific Sales Consultant with PhD in molecular microbiology, focused on the use of qPCR to measure bacterial gene expression, and over ten years of experience driving revenue growth and market expansion in the life sciences and cultivated meat industries. Demonstrated track record of scaling revenue 25x and securing multi-million dollar contracts by developing targeted commercial strategies for novel cell technologies.
Fast read
Scientific sales operator
Current focus: proteomics, SomaScan, KREX
Commercial pattern: early traction into repeatable revenue
Scientific base: qPCR, molecular biology, microbiology
Best fit: technical products with skeptical expert buyers
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Experience & Education
May 2025 - Present
Sr Territory Account Manager, Proteomics
Illumina
Northern California & Pacific Northwest
Building a Western US proteomics territory across academic, clinical, and biotech accounts.
Managing Western US territory for SomaScan proteomics and KREX antibody profiling technologies, supporting academic, clinical, and biotech customers.
Building territory pipeline across drug discovery, biomarker discovery, and basic research applications.
Communicating value propositions to diverse customer segments including pharma, academic institutions, and clinical labs.
Aug 2022 - Present
Scientific Sales Consultant & Owner
Cervus Consulting, LLC
Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Secured first clients and launched five novel products for early-stage life science companies.
Secured first clients for multiple companies, facilitating their entry into the market and establishing a foundation for future growth.
Launched five novel products over the past two years, expanding clients’ product portfolios and opening new revenue streams.
Developed personalized outreach campaigns that enhanced client acquisition efforts, contributing to successful market penetration.
Conducted in-depth market research and analysis, providing clients with actionable insights for strategic decision-making.
Collaborated closely with client executives to align business objectives and drive operational efficiency.
Serves as Sales Mentor for multiple organizations including Big Idea Ventures, Good Food Institute, and Catalonia Trade & Investment Board, supporting the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs.
Oct 2019 - Aug 2022
Commercial Manager
Roslin Technologies
Roslin, UK
Grew annual sales from $2K to $400K and secured $10-25M projected contracts.
Drove revenue growth from $2,000 to $400,000 annual sales by developing and executing a targeted commercial strategy for iPS cell lines.
Secured contracts projected to be worth $10-25M within two to five years by establishing and nurturing key industry partnerships.
Accelerated client acquisition by building a pipeline from zero to multiple companies, including signing the first commercial contract within 12 months.
Transformed the company’s focus by authoring a comprehensive white paper, shifting strategy toward cultivated meat proteins and positioning the company for future growth.
Generated all company revenue through the successful commercialization of cell culture products, contributing to overall business expansion.
Conducted commercial analyses that identified non-viable projects, enabling resource reallocation to more profitable ventures and increasing operational efficiency.
Aug 2018 - Oct 2019
Sequencing Specialist
Roche Diagnostics
United Kingdom
Managed a $700K regional portfolio and helped open major cancer research accounts.
Managed a $700,000 regional portfolio, achieving consistent quota growth by strengthening relationships with existing accounts.
Team expert for qPCR instrumentation and reagent sales, providing technical and sales support for complex qPCR sales.
Introduced Roche’s products into two major cancer research laboratories, including a panel under review by NHS England.
Worked as part of a cross-functional internal team for a multi million dollar NHS tender for molecular diagnostics.
Created and implemented a territory plan to grow revenues for the Roche qPCR and NGS portfolios that hit and exceeded growth targets for 2019.
May 2017 - Aug 2018
Life Science Specialist
Thermo Fisher Scientific
United Kingdom
Owned a territory with a sales target exceeding $33M and supported complex life science sales.
Managed a territory with sales target exceeding $33M, consistently meeting and exceeding quota attainment.
Supported account managers and other team members as the go-to resource for complex life science sales including capex.
Transformed a major water company’s quality control laboratory from purchasing basic supplies to a fully equipped qPCR lab, moving all testing to Thermo Fisher kits. This success was later presented at the 2018 European Sales Conference.
Provided comprehensive training on Arcis extraction kits to sales teams and customers, enhancing product knowledge and usage.
Delivered advanced training on biologics to a team of account managers, resulting in increased life sciences revenue across the region.
Oct 2012 - May 2016
PhD in Biotechnology
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh, UK
Developed qPCR methodologies adopted by Heriot-Watt University's qPCR Core Facility.
Title: "Molecular Analysis of Starch Utilization in Solventogenic Clostridium". Research centred on quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of bacterial gene expression, specifically examining starch metabolism operons across varied carbon sources.
Developed and standardised advanced qPCR methodologies that were subsequently adopted by Heriot-Watt University’s qPCR Core Facility as their standard protocols.
Sep 2010 - Oct 2012
Molecular Biologist
Green Biologics Ltd.
Didcot, UK
Built hands-on molecular biology depth in industrial Clostridium strain engineering.
Cloned genes into bacterial strains to improve fermentation performance of industrial Clostridium species.
Established an internal plasmid library, enhancing cloning efficiency and facilitating genetic engineering efforts.
Performed gene cloning into and from thermophilic bacteria, exploring novel applications and expanding strain optimization capabilities.
Sep 2006 - May 2010
BSc (Hons) in Microbiology
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen, UK
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