Our Team


Dr. Rob O'Brien, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Science Officer, was a professor in Analytical Chemistry for over 13 years and has more than 25 years of experience in analytical chemistry. An expert in analytical instrumentation, he has set up a number of advanced analytical laboratories and has held an executive position in a number of commercial enterprises. Dr. O'Brien possesses a track record of successful commercialization of intellectual property developed from academic research. During his academic career, Dr. O'Brien secured over 3 million dollars in research grants and has developed an extensive network of research collaborators.

More details can be found on Rob's Linkedin profile



Dr. Melanie Reed, MD, FRCPC, is our medical issues consultant. Dr. Reed also holds a variety of academic and professional post including being the Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, Southern Medical Program (SMP), UBC School of Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor with the Department of Surgery at UBC. Dr. Reed was formally a Radiation Oncologist at the Cancer Centre for the Southern Interior in Kelowna and a Royal College examiner. At Supra R&D she has been involved in Health Canada license applications and related activities. She is also the spouse of the company founder.



Emily O'Brien, B.Sc., Laboratory Technician, is focused on the plant microbiome and its effect on plant biology. Her Honours thesis at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus studied the effects of Azospirillum brasilense on the production of cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis in the lab of Dr. Michael Deyholos. In addition to providing laboratory support, she is studying agrology with the intent to receive Master Grower status from Health Canada for the industrial-scale production of cannabis.

Matthew Noestheden, M.Sc., Ph.D. is Supra's Chief Operations Officer. His research is a joint effort between Supra R&D and UBCO, with funding coming through the MITACS Accelerate program and the Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowship. Matthew's research focuses on elucidating a deeper understanding of the chemical changes in wine grapes and wine following exposure to forest fire (i.e., smoke taint). Prior to his Ph.D. studies, Matthew spent 6 years as an LC-MS Application Specialist and Analytical Consultant with a focus on food and environmental applications, as well as customer training on LC-MS hardware and software.

More details can be found on Matt's LinkedIn profile



Seamus Riordan-Short, B.Sc., Analytical Scientist, has been at Supra since 2014. In the summers of 2015 and 2016, Seamus was funded through NSERC, developing chiral analysis techniques for authentication of essential oils and optimizing CO2 and solventless edible oil extractions. His current focus is on method development and validation, expanding and improving the scope of Supra's activities.

More details can be found on Seamus' Linkedin profile



Ryan Hayward, B.Sc., P.Chem., is Supra's Quality Manager. He is an experienced analytical chemist with a demonstrated history in accredited laboratories. His experience in both environmental and cannabis testing labs allows for implementation of an effective quality system.


More details can be found on Ryan's Linkedin profile