Vanessa Vasadi Figueroa, Chief Executive Microbiologist and Independent Consultant at VVF Science®, brings over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry, supporting Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, and Medical Device companies. Her expertise includes sterility assurance, aseptic processing, contamination control, microbial investigations, environmental and utilities monitoring programs, and quality control laboratory management. Mrs. Figueroa has worked with leading US, EU and international pharmaceutical and device companies, leveraging her knowledge of U.S. and global regulatory standards to improve quality and compliance. She has authored numerous technical publications covering topics such as out-of-specification (OOS) investigations, microbial identification methods, and aseptic process simulations. She holds US and international patents as a co-developer of Virtuosi®, an innovative education and training platform for the life sciences industry. Vanessa holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a master’s degree in molecular biology and microbiology from San Jose State University. She is an active member of professional organizations, including the Parenteral Drug Association, American Society for Microbiology, and Association for Women in Science, where she continues to contribute to the advancement of the field through mentorship, thought leadership and collaboration.