Symposium reunites alumni to inspire the next scientific pioneers

In a standing-room only auditorium, Arizona State University students gained career and academic insights into science and technology careers from 10 researchers who returned to the Biodesign Institute. The alumni — who now work for government agencies, nonprofits, national labs, startups, corporations and other universities — shared their experiences during a free, day-long event last month that put a wrap on the Biodesign Institute’s 20th anniversary celebrations.

“Without the Biodesign Institute, none of what I’ve done so far would have happened,” said Biodesign Institute alumnus Matthew Greving. “It’s an ideal training ground to build companies with capable co-founders.”

The symposium featured 11 presentations in total, with opportunities for networking and connecting with peers and alumni. The keynote speaker, Parag Mallick, started the day sharing his personal and professional trajectories, from attending space camp as a child to his first company going public. An associate professor at Stanford University and co-founder and chief scientist at Nautilus Biotechnology, Mallick also frequently performs at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

“I like to show people that you don’t have to be only one thing in life. I hope that by sharing my story, it will help you write your own,” he said.

Mallick emphasized that life’s true transformative moments are often not found in big career achievements, but in the critical moments that redirected one’s path toward them. His entire scientific career, he explained, hinged on going to space camp and listening to the advice of an undergrad research mentor who encouraged him to study proteins. As for his career as a performer, it was all due to a spur-of-the-moment decision to take summer school classes at University of California, Berkeley, where a friend introduced him to juggling.

“My ultimate advice is to cultivate your uniqueness, own it and find things in life that bring you joy and fulfillment."

The event continued with presentations from the 10 former members of the Biodesign Institute. The talks highlighted the migratory nature of a science-related career and encouraged students and professionals to take on new opportunities often.

“Walking back into this building was like coming back home,” said Peaches Ulrich, a molecular science liaison at Caris Life Sciences. “The skills I learned at Biodesign helped me land two jobs right after graduation and directly translated to the kind of work I’m doing now.”

Ulrich was uncertain of her career path until the end of her undergraduate degree, when lab classes sparked a love for science and research. She joined the Biodesign Institute in 2014 through an NIH post-baccalaureate program and earned a PhD in molecular and cellular biology. One of the most important lessons she learned from her mentors was that “it’s not only about the science, but growing as a person and developing soft skills as well.” She credits her networking efforts with helping her land her dream job.

Lokesh Joshi echoed that sentiment, sharing that surrounding himself with key people, like his mentor Charlie Hansen, helped him get where he is today.

He was appointed director of the Biodesign Center for Glycosciences and Technology in 2005 and is currently vice president for research at the National University of Ireland, Galway. His interest in translating research into social impact beyond academia has guided his trajectory since graduate school.

“It’s important to have a sense of purpose and develop a vision for knowledge,” said Joshi. “Data is a goldmine. There are a lot of people generating a lot of data around the world that is not being analyzed.”

Many presenters touched upon the fact that career paths often take unexpected turns after graduate school.

Brian Johnson urged students to remain open to alternative careers. He initially wished to pursue a tenure track as a professor after his graduate studies under Bertram Jacobs at the Biodesign Institute, but he found it limiting. Instead, he applied to a couple government professional fellowship programs, and today he is a presidential management fellow at the National Cancer Institute.

Arizona native Brad Lusk also trod a nontraditional path to his current position as CEO of his own nonprofit. After completing his graduate work at the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology in 2015, Lusk decided to travel the world for a year to learn about the nexus of energy and water. Two years later, he founded a nonprofit organization to realize his passion for delivering access to drinking water to economically vulnerable communities.

“Science is an international language through which we can express empathy for the world’s most impoverished people,” said Lusk.

In addition to a review of jobs often available to new graduates, speakers also shared the impact the Biodesign Institute had in their careers.

In the beginning of his 16 years at ASU, Sudhir Kumar joined the newly opened Biodesign Institute. He had just created an analysis program as a first-year graduate student that has since garnered over 300,000 citations.

“What was just a hobby turned into a lifelong passion, so be adventurous, write what you want and do what makes you happy,” said Kumar, now a professor and director at Temple University.

Department chair at Emory University Alyssa Panitch said her career path followed exactly the kind of work she did at the Biodesign Institute almost 18 years ago. Her mentors at that time, Colleen Brophy and Eric Guilbeau, recognized Panitch’s potential and sent her to leadership academies across the country. Those experiences laid the foundation for her current position, where she focuses on making the faculty and student body in graduate programs more inclusive.

The symposium concluded with a presentation by Matthew Greving, co-founder and CEO at Stoic Therapeutics. He compared his adventure climbing Mount Everest with his experience of turning science into biotech ventures. Grieving highlighted that seeing what others haven’t yet seen and overcoming great obstacles can lead to breakthrough opportunities. He added that when founding his startup, it was vital to have a solid team around him to help solve challenges.

“You can have the greatest idea in the world and still not get anywhere if you don’t have the right team supporting you,” he said.

Find the full recordings of these presentations at the Biodesign Institute YouTube channel.