Richard Freeman, PhD
Sr Territory Account Manager, Proteomics at Illumina
A scientist who moved into commercial life sciences. PhD in molecular biology (qPCR of bacterial gene expression), then over a decade selling technical platforms, from large global firms to cultivated-meat startups. Built one product line from $2,000 to $400,000 a year and signed multi-million dollar contracts for novel cell technologies. Now selling proteomics at Illumina.
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Experience & Education
May 2025 - Present
Sr Territory Account Manager, Proteomics
Illumina
Northern California & Pacific Northwest
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.
Translating the technology for very different buyers: pharma R&D, academic institutions, and clinical labs.
Aug 2022 - Present
Scientific Sales Consultant & Owner
Cervus Consulting, LLC
Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Won the first paying clients for several early-stage companies entering new markets.
Launched five novel products over the past two years, expanding clients’ product portfolios and opening new revenue streams.
Built targeted outreach campaigns that brought in new clients.
Ran the market research that clients used to set strategy.
Worked directly with client executives on commercial priorities.
Mentored sales founders at Big Idea Ventures, the Good Food Institute, and the Catalonia Trade & Investment Board.
Oct 2019 - Aug 2022
Commercial Manager
Roslin Technologies
Roslin, UK
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.
Authored the white paper that shifted company strategy toward cultivated meat proteins.
Generated all company revenue through its cell-culture product sales.
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 $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
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
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
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 optimisation capabilities.
Sep 2006 - May 2010
BSc (Hons) in Microbiology
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen, UK
All of that experience, distilled into elements
Click any element to explore. Filter by domain.
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Skills & Expertise
1
Mb
Molecular Biology
BSc + PhD + Industry
2
Mm
Microbiology
PhD
3
Qp
qPCR
PhD + 4 yrs selling
4
Px
Proteomics
Current
5
Gx
Genomics & NGS
4+ yrs selling
6
Ts
Territory Strategy
8+ yrs
7
Ss
Scientific Sales
8+ yrs
8
Bd
Business Development
6+ yrs
9
Sm
Startup Sales
6+ yrs
10
Ec
Enterprise Sales
4+ yrs
11
Ph
Pharma Accounts
5+ yrs
12
Ac
Academic Accounts
5+ yrs
13
Bt
Biotech Accounts
5+ yrs
14
Hc
Healthcare & NHS
2+ yrs
15
Ai
AI & LLMs
Active
16
Cr
CRM & Sales Tech
8+ yrs
17
Da
Data Analysis
5+ yrs
18
Pe
Prompt Engineering
Active
19
Wo
Workflow Automation
Active
20
Mn
Sales Mentorship
Ongoing
21
Cs
Consulting & GTM
3+ yrs
22
Sc
Science Communication
10+ yrs
23
Mr
Market Research
6+ yrs