Careers in Discovery

"Be broader in your thinking, and try to grow your network with people who don't necessarily do the same things you do which could be useful, certainly early in your career."

Helen Horton is the Chief Research Officer at Touchlight Genetics, a synthetic DNA company developing a range of novel vaccines, including for cancer and covid-19.

We spoke to Helen about her career, along with:

🧬 How thinking ahead improves your research

🧬 Moving jobs (and countries!) at the height of a pandemic

🧬 Why passion is essential for scientists

Enjoy!

"Don't be bound by what you think you should be doing, and keep looking for opportunities to learn new skills and to meet new people. Networking and personal development are hugely important."

Terri Gaskell is an expert in stem cell research, and she recently joined Rinri Therapeutics as Chief Technology Officer to help develop regenerative therapies for hearing loss.

We talked about her career in cutting edge research, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Biotech sector, how the stem cell field has advanced over the course of her career, and transitioning into industry.

"We don't just want to give kids with rare diseases hope, we want to give them a better life and better treatments."

Keith Foster is the Chief Scientific Officer of Sutura Therapeutics, a company he founded to develop precision gene therapies for rare diseases, starting with Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy.

Sutura is a genuinely patient-focused company, and if you've ever wondered what patient-centricity truly is, Keith's interview is a must-listen.

Enjoy!

"When you get into a leadership role, it's your responsibility to make people good at their job, to support them and to develop them. You must take that responsibility."

Alison Clayton is the CEO of Biogelx, and she joined the company in May 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the UK.

Alison sat down with us on Careers in Discovery to discuss the unique challenges that created for her as a new CEO, as well as her career in Biotech and the things she's learned about leadership along the way.

"Reflect and think about your career over the next 3-5 years. If you do and you're proactive, and you work with your organisation, then you'll find your way to where you want to be, whereas if you're passive, you'll end up where the organisation wants you to be."

Dean Edney is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Process R&D at Sai Life Sciences, a rapidly growing CDMO with real ambition.

Dean joined us on Careers in Discovery to discuss his journey so far, as well as:

🧪Process chemistry and the unique scientific challenges it presents

🧪How a love of learning has driven his career

🧪Moving from a major global Pharma to an up-and-coming organisation

Enjoy!

"There are always more options than you think. It's very easy to be stuck in a position and assume that there are very few doors open to you....no matter where you are in your career, it's important to realise that you always have options."

David Gilham is a true pioneer of the CAR-T cell therapy field. Now the Chief Scientific Officer of Celyad, David has seen T-cell based technology grow from academic special interest to global concern producing treatments for patients every day.

Along with sharing his career journey, David talked to us about:

🧪 The early days of CAR-T research

🧪 The pros and cons of working in a completely novel field

🧪 What a CSO does in a clinical-stage Biotech

Enjoy!

"Someone asked me to consider the fact that you may help hundreds, maybe thousands of patients as a physician and by training physicians, but if you develop a medicine which has a profound effect in diabetes, cancer or rheumatology, then you can touch the lives of millions of people. I found that to be a compelling argument."

Paul Peter Tak has built an incredibly varied career centred around a mission of bringing transformative medicines to patients.

As a physician, scientist, academic, corporate executive, investor, board member and CEO, he's experienced almost every side of the Biotech sector.

He joined us on Careers in Discovery to talk about his journey, as well as:

🩺 The difference between transformative medicines and those that show significant results

🩺 Creating strong teams to deliver innovation

🩺 The importance of decision making

Enjoy!

"Anybody of any age can be entrepreneurial. If you've got an idea, and you have the drive to take that idea forward, whether you're 17 or 70 age shouldn't put anyone off."

Carrie Ambler is both the Chief Scientific Officer of LightOx, a company developing novel therapeutics and research tools for oral cancer, and an Associate Professor of Biosciences at Durham University.

Carrie joined us to discuss:

🎓 Balancing her academic and industry careers

🎓 What spinning a company out of research really involves

🎓 Why change is good

Enjoy!

"Don't be afraid to just try something. The worst thing you can do in Biotech is not make a decision. There are lots of right decisions, there are some wrong ones, but there's a point at which just doing something and seeing what happens is how you learn and make progress."

Jane Osbourn is a genuine world leader in the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics. Currently Chief Scientific Officer of Alchemab Therapeutics and Chair at Mogrify, Jane has also served as Chair of the BioIndustry Association, is a Director of Cambridge Enterprise and in 2019, she was awarded an OBE for services to science and the drug research industry as well as the Scrip's Lifetime Achievement Award for contribution to biopharma.

Jane joined us on Careers in Discovery to share her journey, her advice and her views on careers, science, Biotech and more.

Enjoy!

"One day it hit me that in every cell of your body you have a full universe, and it's a universe we can manipulate and run experiments in, yet there is so much of it still to explore."

Maria Chatzou Dunford is the CEO and Founder of Lifebit, a company whose software and analytics tools are democratising access to 'omics data.

Through her commitment to enabling cutting edge science and her dedication to personal improvement, Maria has seen great success in her first foray as an entrepreneur.

She joins us on Careers in Discovery to talk about:

💾 Why you should stay true to your passion

💾 Her learns as a founder and CEO

💾 Why her two favourite words are evolution & self-development

💾 The importance of focus

Enjoy!