Senior Research Scientist
PPD Thermo Fisher Scientific, United States
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-lang-profile/
Kevin is an immunologist with over 20 years of experience applying flow cytometry to translational research, pharmaceutical development, and clinical trials. His work has focused on the design, validation, and implementation of robust, interpretable flow cytometry–based assays in regulated bioanalytical environments, supporting high-stakes drug development decisions.
He currently serves as a Senior Group Leader in the Biomarker Department at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he provides scientific and technical leadership for teams executing complex flow cytometry assays for global pharmaceutical sponsors. His role spans assay strategy, method development and validation, technology transfer, and direct scientific engagement on data interpretation and regulatory considerations. He is deeply committed to advancing rigor, reproducibility, and best practices across both conventional and spectral flow cytometry platforms, while mentoring scientists and contributing to the broader cytometry community.
Scientific Interest and Avenues for Collaboration
Kevin’s scientific interests center on clinical assay development and advancing the understanding of immunotherapies. He is particularly focused on pushing the frontiers of high-parameter spectral assays while contributing to the scientific community through publication, mentorship, and collaboration across academia and industry.
Participation / Support of ISAC
Kevin actively supports ISAC through consistent engagement with the global cytometry community. He attends CYTO annually and presented an oral presentation at CYTO 2025 titled “Advancing CAR T Cell Therapy Monitoring: A Novel Spectral Flow Cytometry Assay for Pharmacokinetics and Immunophenotyping in Clinical Studies.” His participation reflects a broader commitment to strengthening clinical flow cytometry standards and advancing high-impact applications in drug development.
Kevin applied to the ISAC Leadership Development Program because his long-term objective—improving clinical trial quality and patient outcomes through disciplined, decision-ready clinical flow cytometry—aligns closely with ISAC’s mission. As flow cytometry becomes increasingly central to high-consequence decisions in drug development, he believes the field requires leaders who can operate with clarity under uncertainty, translate complexity into action, and elevate standards without adding unnecessary noise. He views the LDP not simply as professional development, but as a force-multiplying opportunity to contribute experience, mentor intentionally, and strengthen the human and scientific infrastructure that enables cytometry to inform critical medical decisions.
Kevin’s foundation in cytometry was shaped during his PhD training in immunology, where he was introduced to the field by Dr. James Hartmann and formally trained by Dr. Mahyar Nouri-Shirazi, who instilled in him a rigorous, first-principles approach to assay design, data integrity, and biological relevance. Dr. Vellalore Kakkanaiah later helped him operationalize these principles within clinical flow cytometry, bridging discovery science with real-world decision-making in clinical trials. Of all the mentors he has encountered, Dr. Hartmann remains the most memorable—not only for decades of innovation in immunology and immunotherapy and multiple recent patents, but for modeling that scientific rigor and genuine kindness can coexist. That example continues to shape Kevin’s approach to science, leadership, and mentorship.