Careers in Discovery

Vern de Biasi, BenevolentAI

Vern de Biasi is VP of Business Development at BenevolentAI, one of the world's leaders in the application of cutting edge technology to drug discovery.

Vern's career has seen him travel the world, from the UK to Italy, China and the US, and he shared with us the key lessons he's learned along the way.

Jordan Lane, Ignota Labs

Jordan Lane is the Chief Scientific Officer of Ignota Labs, a company leveraging AI to rescue failed drug programmes.

 

Jordan joined us to talk about building conviction, seeking feedback & maintaining networks, the huge opportunity lying in failed research, and why risk is relative in your career.

Bill Eldridge, Isogenica

Bill Eldridge is an experienced scientific and commercial leader, one of the founding team members of the VHH antibody company Isogenica, and now their CEO.

Bill joined us to talk about his career, the huge potential that still exists within antibody discovery and the magic of seeing a 96 well ELISA plate turn blue after months of failure!

Enjoy...

Namir Hassan, Zelluna Immunotherapy

Namir Hassan is the CEO of Zelluna Immunotherapy, a cancer cell therapy company harnessing natural immunity to treat solid tumours.

Namir joined us on Careers in Discovery to talk about when precision medicine gets too precise, the importance of servant leadership and trusting the journey in your career.

Enjoy!

Jane Dancer

Now a Non-Executive at a range of leading Biotech companies including Spirea, PharmEnable, Macomics, NanoSyrinx and Elasmogen, Jane Dancer has built a highly successful career in Business Development in the sector.

Jane joined us to discuss that career, how she created a portfolio of NED positions, the real value of an MBA and whether you really need a PhD.

Enjoy!

Samantha Bailey-Bucktrout, Akamis Bio

"I see all the other element of my current role - the leadership, management and mentoring - as enabling the science."

Samantha Bailey-Bucktrout is the Senior Vice President of Research at Akamis Bio, a company harnessing the power of tumour gene therapy in the fight against cancer.

Samantha talked to us about her career in cancer immunotherapy, what Greek mythology has to do with modern-day Biotech, and the importance of a collaborative approach to drug development.

Enjoy!

Beverley Carr, Amphista Therapeutics

"You can learn corporate finance. You can do Excel modelling. You can read books on negotiation. But I strongly believe that Business Development is an art, and it's something that you can only really learn by doing."

Beverley Carr is the Chief Business & Operating Officer of Amphista Therapeutics, a company re-engineering TPD therapies to tackle cancer and neurological disorders.

Beverley joined us on Careers in Discovery to talk about how Amphista are tackling the limitations of first-generation TPDs, why strategic Business Development is coming back into fashion, and the qualities that make a good BD person.

Enjoy!

Janette Thomas, Five Alarm Bio

"I realised that drug development was much more than just research. There's a huge amount of work beyond coming up with a molecule, but research scientists just don't get exposed to it."

Janette Thomas has built a career from Researcher to Project Manager, Operations Director and now CEO of Five Alarm Bio, a company focused on novel approaches to anti-aging.

Janette joined us to talk about the current state of anti-aging research, what makes a good project manager and why you should never be limited by fear in your career.

Enjoy!