Meet the Marinus Team

Marinus’ management team is committed to developing innovative treatment options for seizures disorders in both the hospital and home setting.

Board of Directors

Scott Braunstein, M.D.

Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer

Scott Braunstein, M.D. was appointed Chairman of the Board in November 2022 and has served as Chief Executive Officer of Marinus since August 2019 and on our board since September 2018.

Dr. Braunstein brings over 30 years of knowledge and experience from diverse biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry vantage points. Dr. Braunstein is currently an operating partner at Aisling Capital. He most recently served as chief strategy officer and chief operating officer at Pacira Biosciences, Inc. Prior to Pacira, Dr. Braunstein served as a healthcare portfolio manager at Everpoint Asset Management and spent 13 years with J.P. Morgan Asset Management as a healthcare analyst and managing director in the U.S. Equity team, and as portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Healthcare Fund responsible for managing investments in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices.

Dr. Braunstein is currently on the board at Trevena, Inc. and Caribou Biosciences, Inc. He previously served on the boards of Constellation Pharmaceuticals (acquired by MorphoSys AG in July 2021), Ziopharm Oncology, Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. and Protara Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Braunstein began his career as a practicing physician at the Summit Medical Group and as assistant clinical professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center. He earned his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his B.S. from Cornell University.

Scott Braunstein 2

Scott Braunstein, M.D.

Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer

 

Tim M. Mayleben

Lead Independent Board Director

Tim M. Mayleben was appointed Lead Independent Director in November 2022 and has served on our Board since December 2008.

Mr. Mayleben has more than two decades of executive leadership experience in the life sciences industry, most recently as President, CEO and Director of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc, a pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing non-statin, oral medicines for patients with elevated levels of LDL-cholesterol, where he led the development and approval of Nexletol and Nexlizet, the first such medicines approved in almost 20 years. Prior to Esperion, he was President, CEO and Director of Vericel Corporation, (previously named Aastrom Biosciences), former President, COO, and a director of Virtual Radiologics, Inc. (formerly NightHawk Radiology Holdings, Inc.), and former COO and CFO of the original Esperion, until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2004.

Mr. Mayleben earned an MBA, with distinction, from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a BBA from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business.

Tim Mayleben

Tim M. Mayleben

Lead Independent Board Director

 

Chuck Austin

Director

Chuck Austin was appointed to our board of directors July 2020.

Mr. Austin has more than 25 years of experience in the life sciences sector, and has held numerous roles in supply chain operations, research and development, and engineering throughout his career with Johnson & Johnson. Prior to his appointment to Marinus’ Board of Directors, Mr. Austin served as Corporate Vice President, Global Supply Chain at Johnson & Johnson, where he was a member of the Johnson & Johnson Management Committee and was responsible for all manufacturing, logistics, quality, compliance, direct procurement, environmental, health and safety, and engineering and real estate for the corporation.

As Company Group Chairman of Ethicon Surgical Care – a Johnson & Johnson Company – Mr. Austin helped combine four separate operating units, re-engineer a global commercial model, and return the overall franchise to growth. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, and served in the United States Army for over nine years. He currently serves on multiple boards in the medical and consumer spaces and is a principal in JK Advisors, a San Diego based firm focused on the medical space.

Charles Austin

Chuck Austin

Director

 

Elan Ezickson

Director

Elan Ezickson joined our Board in December 2019.

Mr. Ezickson brings extensive biopharmaceutical operational, strategic and capital formation expertise to Marinus’s board, most recently having served as the Chief Operating Officer and head of corporate development at Scholar Rock Holding Corporation, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on novel oncology and rare disease treatments. At Scholar Rock, he directed corporate development, operations and strategy, and played a significant role in corporate finance, leading the company’s initial public offering. Prior to joining Scholar Rock, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Aveo Pharmaceuticals where he built and oversaw corporate development, commercial operations, technical operations, medical affairs, program management and legal functions and led capital raising and licensing efforts with multinational pharmaceutical companies.

Prior to Aveo, Mr. Ezickson was at Biogen in roles that included President of Biogen Canada, Program Executive and Associate General Counsel. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of four biotechnology firms including Carmine Therapeutics, Tvardi Therapeutics, Ziopharm Oncology and Asylia Therapeutics. Mr. Ezickson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Yale University and a Juris Doctorate from the Columbia University School of Law.

Elan Ezickson

Elan Ezickson

Director

 

Seth H.Z. Fischer

Director

Seth H.Z. Fischer has served on our Board since September 2016.

Mr. Fischer brings to the Board of Directors over 38 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, including 29 years in various leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson.
Mr. Fischer currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Agile Therapeutics, Inc. (AGRX), Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SPPI), and is also an advisor to MedHab, LLC. Previously, Mr. Fischer served as the Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Vivus, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company commercializing and developing innovative, next-generation therapies to address unmet needs in obesity, diabetes, sleep apnea and sexual health from September 2013 to December 2017. Prior to Vivus, Mr. Fischer served in various positions of increasing responsibility at Johnson & Johnson, most recently as Company Group Chairman, Johnson & Johnson and Worldwide Franchise Chairman of Cordis Corporation.

Prior to that, he served as Company Group Chairman, North America Pharmaceuticals, which included responsibilities for Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, Janssen and Scios. Prior to that, Mr. Fischer served as President of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Fischer’s operating responsibilities encompassed the commercialization of products in multiple therapeutic categories including Topamax® for epilepsy and migraines, neurologic, analgesic, anti-infective, cardiovascular, psychiatric and women’s health areas. From May 2013 to May 2019, Mr. Fischer also served on the Board of Directors of BioSig Technologies, Inc. 
Mr. Fischer earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Ohio University and served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force.

Seth Fischer

Seth H.Z. Fischer

Director

 

Marvin H. Johnson, Jr.

Director

Mr. Johnson’s professional experience spanned over 34 years at Merck & Co., Inc. predominantly in commercial operations. During that time he held senior sales and marketing leadership positions across multiple therapeutic categories including Acute Care, Neurology, Diabetes, Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Pain Management and Sleep Disorders. Mr. Johnson is experienced leading large scale regional, national and global sales and marketing organizations worth over $3 billion in revenue and has extensive experience launching products in the U.S and abroad. He was most recently Chief Learning Officer at Merck from 2016 until his retirement in October 2018.

Mr. Johnson is a member of the Board of Directors for Trevena, Inc., Vice Chair on the Board of Trustees for Tabor Children’s Services, Inc. and serves as a member of the strategic advisory board for GP Strategies Corporation. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the Pennsylvania State University.

Marvin Johnson

Marvin H. Johnson, Jr.

Director

 

Sara Nochur, Ph.D.

Director

Dr. Nochur was appointed to our board of directors March 2021

Dr. Nochur currently serves as Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA. Prior to taking on this role in January 2021, she was Chief Regulatory Officer/Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs at Alnylam for 14 years. Dr. Nochur has participated as a member of the Management Board of Alnylam and led a world-class team of global regulatory affairs professionals, enabling the multi-national development and approval of three novel drugs for the treatment of rare diseases. At Alnylam, Dr. Nochur and her team successfully leveraged a wide range of key global regulatory pathways, including Orphan Drug Designation, Breakthrough Designation, PRIME Scheme, Pediatric Investigational Plan, Pediatric Voucher, Priority Review, Accelerated Assessment and Accelerated Review.

She has been active in Boston’s biotechnology industry since 1989, and over the years has been a mentor to young professionals as a member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. Dr. Nochur currently serves on the Advisory Board of Women in the Enterprise of Science and Technology (WEST) and is a host and Chair of the Board of Hospitality Homes, a non-profit organization that provides free or low-cost housing for patients from around the world who seek specialty medical care in Boston.
Dr. Nochur holds a Ph.D. degree in Biochemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in Microbiology and bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and Chemistry from the University of Bombay.

Sara

Sara Nochur, Ph.D.

Director

 

Christine Silverstein

Director

Christine Silverstein was appointed to our board of directors January 2023.

Ms. Silverstein is a seasoned finance executive with experience across both private and public biopharmaceutical companies and an aptitude for implementing strong financial strategy, corporate partnering, financial reporting, cash management and improving efficiencies within organizations. Ms. Silverstein currently serves as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Artios Pharma Limited and most recently served as CFO of Excision Biotherapeutics, Inc. She previously operated in various senior executive roles within the biotechnology industry, including Emendo Biotherapeutics (acquired in December 2020 by AnGes, Inc.), as CFO, Abeona Therapeutics, as CFO and Principal Financial Officer, and SCO Capital Partners, a New York-based biotechnology venture fund, as managing director. Ms. Silverstein began her career in the financial services industry before moving to capital markets advisory firms, where she was instrumental in advising clients on transaction considerations and formulating effective U.S. public listing and financing strategies.

A member of CHIEF and Women in Bio, two esteemed networks of exceptional female leaders, Ms. Silverstein holds a Bachelor of Science from the Peter Tobin College of Business at St. John’s University and has earned accreditations from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Harvard University. She currently serves on the board of Abeona Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on rare pediatric diseases.

Christine Silverstein

Christine Silverstein

Director

 

Sarah Noonberg, M.D., Ph.D.

Director

Dr. Noonberg was appointed to our board of directors May 2023.

Dr. Noonberg is a physician-scientist with a diverse background in translational science, clinical development, medical affairs, and corporate governance. She has significant experience designing and leading rare disease programs from discovery to global regulatory approvals and commercialization. Dr. Noonberg currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Metagenomi, a privately held genomics company, where she is advancing its gene editing technology platform toward the clinic. She previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Maze Therapeutics, Nohla Therapeutics and Prothena Biosciences and prior to that, held clinical development executive leadership roles at BioMarin and at Medivation. Her industry experience is complemented by more than 10 years of experience treating patients as a hospitalist physician.

Dr. Noonberg currently serves on the Board of Directors at Neurogene and previously served on the Board of Directors at Pro­tag­o­nist Ther­a­peu­tics and Neoleukin Therapeutics. She trained in inter­nal med­i­cine at Johns Hop­kins Hos­pi­tal, received an M.D. from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia, San Fran­cis­co, a Ph.D. in bio­engi­neer­ing from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia, Berke­ley, and a bachelor’s degree in engi­neer­ing sci­ence from Dart­mouth College.

Sarah Noonberg (1)

Sarah Noonberg, M.D., Ph.D.

Director