Careers in Discovery

Tomas Dias, Mursla

"Embrace being uncomfortable. It's easy to say, I know, but go out there and don't be afraid. It will be challenging, it will make you anxious but if you don't try, [what you want] won't happen."

Tomas Dias is the Chief Technology Officer at Mursla, a Biotech company using extracellular vesicles to develop next-generation liquid biopsy tests in service of their mission to offer life-saving clinical insights to patients and their medical teams.

Tomas talked to us about his path through his career so far, why reliability is underrated and the importance of hard work, as well as how a tennis injury made a clear career choice for him.

Enjoy!

Samantha Dale Strasser, Pepper Bio

"As a PhD, you're very focused on the question and the process of how you get things done. Our focus [as a Biotech company] is on what impact we want to have, where we're going and the key questions that our partners are trying to answer."

Samantha Dale Strasser is the Chief Scientific Officer of Pepper Bio, the world's first transomic analysis company.

Samantha joined us in a fascinating discussion about her career to date and her experiences of building Pepper, developing cures with confidence and the differences between working in academic research and a startup Biotech.

Enjoy!

Nara Daubeney, Phaim

"It comes down to [the question], 'Why are you here?'. We looked at this project and thought, if we do this and it works, then we have a therapy that could prevent people from progressing down the inevitable slide into insulin dependence, with all the long term impacts that implies. And that would be a really worthwhile course to take."

Nara Daubeney is the COO of Phaim, a Biotech company using antigenic immune modulation to treat diabetes and other conditions.

Nara joined us to talk about her transition from a successful medical career into the world of start-up Biotech, taking the immune system back to school and why the "fire in your belly" should be your guide.

Enjoy!

Richard Weaver

"Don't think that just because you've done a Biology or Chemistry degree, this is your path forever....I didn't become an entrepreneur until the age of 42. Your [career] path isn't fixed."

Richard Weaver is a consultant to Biotech companies on their drug development programmes, specialising in DMPK. Before becoming a consultant, Rich was the founder of XenoGesis, a CRO he successfully sold to Sygnature Discovery in 2020.

Rich talked to us about his career as a scientist and an entrepreneur, his formula for building a CRO and the advantages of organic growth.

Enjoy!

Nuno Madeira do Ó, Reflection Therapeutics

"Anybody can be a pair of hands, follow a protocol and do what they're told. If you want more than that, if you want to be a pair of hands with a brain, then you have to think differently."

Nuno Madeira do Ó is the CEO of Reflection Therapeutics, a Biotech company harnessing the potential of Tregs to treat inflammatory diseases.

Nuno shared the story of his career so far, and among other things we discussed pivoting a Biotech into a new disease area, transitioning from research into commercial roles and how a children's cartoon inspired a career in Life Sciences.

Enjoy!

Leigh Brody, AlbionVC

"We are in such an exciting time in Life Sciences...if you have an idea, go for it, because there's a lot of VC money out there...and the appetite to invest early has improved, so it's the right time to speak to investors about potential ideas."

Leigh Brody is an entrepreneur, executive and now venture investor at AlbionVC, where she oversees the UCL Technology Fund.

Leigh joined us to talk about her career, the difference between a good idea and an investable one and why you must ALWAYS patent your ideas.

Enjoy!

Samuel Woodhouse, CoSyne Therapeutics

"Join a young company. If you're employee number 10, you're 10% of the business as opposed to 1% in a 100 person company. You will learn way more just by osmosis....if you're curious and ask questions."

Samuel Woodhouse is the VP of Operations at CoSyne Therapeutics, a technology-driven drug discovery company on a mission to reinvent Pharma from the ground up.

Samuel joined us to talk about his career in genomics and start up Biotechs, why academia wasn't for him and why developing people is much more powerful than giving them a payrise.

Enjoy!

Roland Burli, Cerevance

"In the first few years [of your career], what's really important is to establish yourself. You learn a certain skillset in academia...the next thing is to really apply that in the context of a drug discovery project....if you develop a proven track record as a good scientist, good things will happen."

Roland Burli is the Vice President of Drug Discovery at Cerevance, where he and his team are using a unique platform to develop new treatments for brain diseases.

Roland joined us to discuss his varied career to date, from landing in LA with just a backpack to working for some of the industry's biggest names.

Enjoy!