In today’s episode of Translating Aging, Chris welcomes Mark Hamalainen, the founder and director of LessDeath, to discuss how to encourage the influx of talents into the longevity field. LessDeath is an organization on a mission to support the growth and effectiveness of the longevity industry’s workforce. Today, Mark shares with us his experience in the longevity space, why he founded LessDeath, and what to expect at the upcoming LessDeath Longevity Summer Camp.

Noting that his experience in the longevity space was propelled by his fascination as a teenager, Mark goes on to share details about leaving his Ph.D. program to get hands-on experience in the longevity world and discover the many talents represented in the industry. He speaks about founding LessDeath, what the organization hopes to achieve, the inaugural LessDeath Longevity Summer Camp and the gap this event is hoping to bridge in the industry. Included in this episode are interviews with Stephanie Dainow and Kia Winslow, camp counselors for the Longevity Summer Camp, in which they share the kinds of talent they expect to attract to the event and the kinds of activities that will take place.

Episode Highlights:

• How Mark got involved in the longevity space
• The biggest issue in the longevity field
• The different talents prospering in the biotech field
• Why gene delivery and gene therapy require more technological development
• The challenges with getting people into the longevity biotech field
• How LessDeath tackles the talent issue and encourages networking
• The LessDeath Longevity Summer Camp
• Interview with Stephanie Dainow
• How Stephanie got into the longevity space
• Interview with Kia Winslow
• Kia’s story of getting into biotech
• What is next for LessDeath?

Quotes:

“I started a Ph.D. at Cambridge working on some gene therapy development. But I quickly got a bit disillusioned with the pace and the amount of extra work involved in grant writing, bureaucracy, and academia.”

“A lot of people would prefer to work on important problems like longevity, climate change, building a multiplanetary species. But it can be difficult to know where to start, and how to build a sustainable career out of it.”

“I've never liked the idea of getting older and losing my faculties and physical capabilities.”

“If you want to invest your time supporting initiatives that drive measurable improvement to the human condition, but you're really not sure where to start, this is the event for you.”

Links:

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Translating Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcast

BIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.com

BIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabs

BIOAGE Labs LinkedIn

LessDeath Website LessDeath.Org

Apply for LessDeath Longevity Summer Camp

Mark’s LinkedIn