LifeSci Partners Flashcards
Tell me about yourself?
I grew up in upstate NY and attended the University of Vermont where I majored in neuroscience and philosophy. During my undergrad, I realized that I wanted to make a career at the intersection of life sciences and business. So, after graduating, I decided to enroll in the biotechnology program at UPenn because I felt that it provided a unique opportunity to approach biotechnology from a business perspective as well as a scientific perspective. During my graduate studies, I jumped at opportunities to conduct research, work with startups, and participate in consulting projects. I fell in love with consulting, because I learned so much in each project that I participated in. After graduating, I’m looking specifically for opportunities at life sciences consulting firms. I’m really excited about LifeSci because of the focus on partnering, and because it seems like a tremendous learning opportunity.
Why consulting? Why LifeSci, specifically?
I’m interested in consulting because I enjoy the problem solving aspect and because i’ve found it to be one of the most effective ways to learn.
I’m drawn to LifeSci partnering and analytics for many reasons, but the most significant is the focus on strategic partnering. Partnerships are such an important part of the industry I’m super excited by the prospect of working on them and developing expertise in the area. It’s really interesting because it seems like LifeSci covers all the bases in this area, from valuation and due diligence to marketing to deal structuring…
I’ve looked a bit into the Benevir Jannsen buyout, and I’d love to hear more about it if we have time.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
My aim over the next five years is to cultivate biopharma industry expertise, build a network, and refine my strategic thinking as it relates to life sciences. I think I can accomplish these goals by working in a life science consulting firm and by prioritizing learning. I hope to come out of the next five years in a leadership position at an organization where I can continue to grow as a professional. Frankly, at this point it’s difficult to say whether I’ll still be at consulting firm, a VC firm, or a biopharma startup, but I’m confident that I will have the skills to make an impact in whatever organization I’m a part of.
Why not research?
I really enjoyed some aspects of research, like reading literature and experimental design. However, I felt that the day-to-day life of research was often monotonous, and I found myself missing a certain social aspect that I enjoyed in other lines of work. More importantly, I believe that working on the translational and business side of life sciences is a more fruitful way to drive innovation in healthcare.
Professional challenge?
One of my greatest professional challenges was leading a consulting project through the InSITE fellowship during the Spring semester of 2020. When the pandemic hit, my team members and I scattered across the globe, which made communication and progress very difficult. I worked closely with the client and we ultimately decided to move forward with the project under a revised scope and extended timeframe, rather than dropping the project and refunding him. In order to keep things progressing with the team, we had to be very flexible with meetings and workflow. At the end of the day, I feel that we really pulled through and delivered results that the client was very happy with. Equally as important to me, I think my team members enjoyed the experience and got a lot out of it despite the chaos.
Greatest strengths for this position?
I have a strong understanding of life sciences as an academic discipline and an industry, as well as direct experience in consulting and business development in the space. As such, I’m well-versed and very confident with a lot of the core responsibilities of the role, including primary and secondary research, conducting financial analysis, and preparing marketing materials and presentations. I believe my soft skills or characteristics would also help me in this role, as I’m very self-motivated and comfortable working independently when I need to.
Weakness:
I’m non-confrontational by nature, and I sometimes worry too much about hurting people’s feelings. This has led to some difficult situations in the past. For example, in some of my past leadership roles, I’ve let team members get by without doing the work they were committed to. I’ve taken conscious efforts to address this, because in these situations it’s unfair to the rest of the team. It’s still an area I have some difficulty with, but through my leadership experiences in consulting and student organizations, I’ve really been able to improve this.
