Seminar Schedule

[ Thursday, September 29th, 2011 ] 5–6pm HSB room T-625
"From the Bench to the Corner Office: The Value of Scientific Training in Product Development "
Neile A. Grayson, Ph.D.
Vice President, Drug Development
KinDex Therapeutics, Seattle, WA

Are you wondering what it may be like to work in biotechnology firm? Are you interested in the business side of science? Have you been looking for an exciting and fast paced career? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then join us at this year's first installment of the Bioscience Careers Seminar Series! In her talk, Dr. Grayson will describe her experience as a Ph.D. scientist in Seattle's biotechnology startup scene. She will compare what it's like working in an academic lab versus managing a biotech company and tell us how she got there.

Dr. Neile Grayson is currently Vice President of Drug Development at KinDex Therapeutics. After working as a research scientist at the NIH and later Mallinckrodt, she transitioned away from the bench and worked her way up to become Senior Director of Corporate Discovery Research and Portfolio Planning. She has been involved with several biotechnology firms in the Seattle area since the acquisition of Mallinckrodt by Tyco Healthcare in 2001 and is an active member of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association.

[ Thursday, October 20th, 2011 ] 5–6pm HSB room T-625
“From Amino Acids to Aircraft Fuel - Going Full Circle in Biology Applications.”
Margaret McCormick, Ph.D.
Chief Operations Officer
Matrix Genetics, Seattle, WA

Dr. Margaret McCormick is CEO of Matrix Genetics, an advanced biology algae company being spun out of the agricultural biotech company, Targeted Growth, Inc. McCormick got her PhD in metabolic engineering of microorganisms from MIT, focusing on amino acid and bioplastic production. She eventually worked her way over to the biomedical side of biotechnology, starting several drug development and diagnostics companies while at Baylor College of Medicine and leading biotechnology investments at Integra Ventures. McCormick moved to the Integra portfolio company, Targeted Growth, where she became COO managing the company's R&D programs in bioenergy and agricultural biotechnology. In 2011, Targeted Growth decided to spin out its algae program into a new company, Matrix Genetics.

[ Thursday, November 17th, 2011 ] 5–6pm HSB room T-625
Is my career compass broken? A post-doctoral journey from public health research to academia, then back again.
David Sue, Ph.D.
Fellow in Microbiology
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

Earning a graduate degree means that your road-map in science is set and that your inbox will soon overflow with job offers…right?  Well, not exactly.  Whether you are bound for academia or not, the choices that you make as a post-graduate can alter your career trajectory even more than your thesis topic or advisor.   Luckily, there are fantastic post-graduate training programs in the biosciences for both traditional and "non-traditional" post-docs.  In this seminar, Dr. sue will share his unexpectedly, "non-traditional" post-doctoral path that included a teaching-research fellowship at Spelman College and Emory University,  as well as public health research fellowships at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in Atlanta, Georgia.  His career path was influenced by three different post-graduate training opportunities, and he’ll describe why he considers each experience valuable.

[ Thursday, December 1st, 2011 ] 5–6pm HSB room T-733
The science of dark chocolate. Why a molecular biologist ended up in the world of cocoa.
Andrew McShea, Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer ("Dr. Choc")
Theo Chocolate, Seattle, WA

Dr. McShea is COO of Theo Chocolate where he is responsible for running the business, technical, and scientific operations for the company. Dr. McShea got his PhD in virology from the University of Vienna and Harvard Medical School and post doc at Bristol Myers Squibb and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer center. In 2000 he joined CombiMatrix Corp. developing nucleic acid array technologies and diagnostics. Then in 2006 he invested in a small start up called Theo Chocolate and joined the company full time a year later.  In addition to running the manufacturing operation, Dr. McShea is developing new technologies for the manufacturing of high quality, healthy chocolate.

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[ Thursday, January 12, 2012 ] 5–6pm HSB room T-747
"Staying on Target: How to leverage a biomedical science career with a PhD"
Dr. Darren Begley, PhD.
Sr. Research scientist
Emerald biostructures, Seattle, WA

Ever ask yourself why you are in graduate school? Ever think to ask yourself this question before you started your PhD? If not, is it too l

For some, graduate school is a means to an end, with an advanced degree at the finish line. Although potentially rewarding in itself, this approach can leave a person "stuck" at the end of their graduate career, wondering what to do next. For others, obtaining a PhD is just one of many steps toward career advancement and job satisfaction, along a path filled with many opportunities.

This week, Darren Begley will talk to us about his career in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a temporary work visa and no letters of recommendation, Darren started out as a research tech during the biotech boom of the 1990s. Since then, he has worked for a variety of companies in San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle, and along the way earned a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Washington. His career continues well into today's dismal economic climate, working as a Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader of the Biophysics Core at Emerald BioStructures. Throughout this discussion, he will highlight some of the key questions he has been asking himself, and some of the answers he has arrived at before, during, and after graduate school.

[ Thursday, February 23, 2012 ] 5–6pm HSB room T-747
" Looking out the lab window- A serendipitous path from academic research to science commercialization "
Christiana DelloRusso, PhD.
Director of Commercialization
Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association, Seattle, WA

Earning a PhD can sometimes feel like a narrow, blinded hallway to a future of academic research. However, many options exist outside of the ivory tower for those with the knowledge and skills earned in graduate school. Attend this talk if you are interested in learning about how to go about exploring alternative options, and how to position yourself for success outside of the lab.

Christiana DelloRusso is the Director of Commercialization at the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA), where she leads efforts to support early stage life science companies as they transfer lab science to the market. She is also Managing Director of WINGS, The Washington Medical Technology Angel Network, a non-profit angel investor network that facilitates seed and early stage investments for medical technology companies in Washington state. Prior to joining the WBBA and WINGS, Christiana spent 15 years at the research bench, studying human physiology, gene therapy of muscular dystrophy, tumor cell biology and cancer angiogenesis. Her transition out of the laboratory and into the business side of science included a position as Project Manager at the Boston-based, non-profit organization Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (WEST), and time spent as an independent grants consultant in Cambridge, MA, working with emerging biotechnology companies on federal funding programs. Additionally, she started, ran and sold her own small business between 2007 and 2009.

Check back soon for more infomation!

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Check back soon for more information!

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