Alumni Spotlight - April 2025

How long were you a member of miLEAD? What positions did you hold?

I was a member of miLEAD for 3 years, and for 2 years I was the Director of Administration (now, Vice President of Operations).

What was the most interesting project you were involved with while in milead?

Performing market research on the synthetic diamond industry.

How did miLEAD help you obtain your current position?

Engagement in miLEAD, both on the consulting and leadership side, showed my current employer that I can successfully work with different teams and that I enjoy working collaboratively. I think that exhibiting these "soft skills" in a tactile way is important when applying for jobs. Having leadership initiative is a valued trait at my company.

What is your day-to-day life like in your current position?

I am a data scientist at an early research life sciences company. I work collaboratively between the Computational Sciences group and the Metabolomics and Lipidomics lab. I contribute to the pipeline development, data normalization, statistical modeling, and biological interpretation of large metabolomics and lipidomics datasets. I work closely with other biologists, analytical chemists, engineers, and data scientists on various basic science and clinical projects.

What did you learn through miLEAD that you apply to your current position?

Despite the fact that my role is focused on early research, my exposure to market-related concepts in miLEAD has been helpful to provide context for decisions made by my company or other biotechnology companies. I also think that miLEAD is a good place to learn how to work on structured teams or projects.

What advice would you give to current or prospective miLEAD consultants?

Companies hire people that they want to work with. miLEAD was a great place for me to gain experience leading various teams and working on diverse projects that I could speak to outside my technical lab experience. If you plan to pursue a technical job, I highly recommend working directly on projects that require the exact kind of work you would like to do in your career.