Carmen Banks, PhD is the Founder & CEO of MelanInScience, an organization that’s reimagining the future of biotech and life sciences by building pathways for underrepresented talent. They connect academic training to industry opportunity through industry-backed programming, internships, and partnerships with leading biotech and biopharma companies.

Since their founding in 2024, Carmen and her team have impacted hundreds of students across 15 states and 20 countries.

During this episode, we discuss:

• An intro to Dr. Carmen Banks, founder and CEO of MelanInScience, a scientist and entrepreneur working to bridge the gap between academia and the biotech industry
• How Carmen’s background as a cell and molecular biologist shaped her path through early-stage biotech startups, including lab-grown meat, drug discovery, and ag tech
• Why MelanInScience was created
• The importance of exposing life sciences students to career paths beyond healthcare and academia
• How MelanInScience’s STEM Connect program helps undergraduate and graduate students prepare for industry roles
• Carmen’s approach to building a mission-driven community of more than 4,000 people in two years
• Lessons on avoiding burnout, managing “shiny object syndrome,” and choosing intentional growth
• What’s next for MelanInScience
• Carmen’s advice for founders and community builders

And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things biotech!