Shoufeng Li, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Li is a Scientist and Founder of the company. With 20+ years of global pharmaceutical industry experience in both multinational and start-ups, he is responsible for the overall strategy, direction, and growth of the business. 

Before founding Aucta, Dr. Li held scientific and managerial roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Eon Labs (Sandoz).

Dr. Li holds a PhD in Pharmaceutics and an MS in Statistics from Rugers University.

Brian Zorn, PharmD

Chief Commercial Officer

With more than 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, including new product planning, marketing, medical communications and sales, and extensive experience in providing market/product assessments, Dr. Zorn is responsible for the commercial direction of the company.

Dr. Zorn played a key role in the planning, launch and marketing of leading brands, including Omnicef®, Neurontin®, Lyrica®, and Diovan®.

Dr. Zorn holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kansas.

Pasquale (Pat) Santangelo

Vice President, Head of Generics

With 25+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience, Mr. Santangelo is responsible for the Generics business of the company. He has a very diverse background encompassing both brand and generic product experience and has launched over 50 oral and injectable generic products during the course of his career.

Prior to joining Aucta, he held various positions with increasing responsibilities at Hikma, Aurobindo, Par & Teva. 

Mr. Santangelo holds a BS in Business Administration and MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ.

Qiaolin Ren, Ph.D.

VP, R&D and Manufacturing

With 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, Dr. Ren is responsible for research and development and portfolio management. 

He has extensive experience in formulation design, process development, technical transfers, and manufacturing. He previously held roles at Novartis, Sandoz, Fougera, and Amylin. 

Dr. Ren holds a BS in Pharmacy and a PhD in Industrial Pharmacy from St. John's University.

Lixin Gong,

Vice President, Analytical Development

With 18 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, Ms. Gong is responsible for analytical development and quality management. She has in-depth knowledge and experience of analytical method development and validation and a solid understanding of quality systems and GMP/GLP/FDA/ICH and DEA regulations. 

 Prior to joining Aucta, she held roles of increasing responsibility with West-Ward, Alpharma, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.  

 Ms. Gong holds a BS in Organic Chemistry and an MS in Analytical Chemistry from Northeastern University, Shenyang,China.

Weifeng Ji

Director, Analytical Development

With 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotech industry experience, Mr. Ji is responsible for analytical development and quality management. He has in-depth knowledge and experience of analytical method development and validation, product development of CMC lifecycle management, and a solid understanding of quality systems and GMP/ GLP/FDA/EMEA/ICH and DEA regulations. He has successfully brought new molecules from pre-clinical through phase I, II, and III to commercial launch in the US and EU markets. Prior to joining Aucta, he held roles of increasing responsibility with Johnson & Johnson, Ivax, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Sandoz, Exelixis, and Relypsa.

Mr. Ji holds an MS in Chemistry and an MS in Information management in information systems from Stevens Institute of Technology.