Consultant Spotlight - July 2023

How long have you been with miLEAD? 

9 months.

What is the focus of your research?

I study the different nutrient inputs that pancreatic cancer can use for metabolic fuel in the absence of classical serum-derived nutrients. Understanding how cancer cells can adapt and survive in diverse, and often times harsh, conditions helps us better design experiments to mimic the true tumor microenvironment, and ultimately tailor new treatment approaches based on these newly discovered metabolic phenotypes.

What are your current career goals?

I specialize in mass spectrometry based methods and plan to utilize those skills in the future in an industry research related position.

What roles have you played on projects? 

I have been a consultant on a secondary research project aimed at quantifying market values and projecting growth opportunities within certain industry sectors. Additionally, I recently lead a team of consultants as a Project Manager. This project afforded me the opportunity to work more closely with clients, shape the team's direction to adapt to client feedback, and teach new consultants the skills to perform secondary market research.

What led you to seek out milead?

Early on in graduate school I knew that I likely would not stay in academia. miLEAD affords me the professional development platform to build my network and discover new ways to utilize my PhD expertise in other career paths.

Since joining miLEAD, what skills have you been able to develop?

As a consultant I learned valuable secondary research skills, specifically how to quantify market size, value, and growth through multiple resources. Additionally, I have greatly improved my presentation skills, with both effective slide design and vocal clarity. Honing these skills in a non-biosciences project helped me to translate my PhD skills into client-facing industry applications. As a Project Manager I also have gained valuable experience in leading a team and providing accurate deliverables to clients in an efficient manner.

What has been one of your most rewarding experiences thus far working with miLEAD? 

While I have developed my own personal research skills, the most rewarding experience so far has been as a Project Manager leading and mentoring new consultants. As a consultant I found gathering information in industry-related projects to be particularly difficult. Working on growth projections, and non-concrete numbers were particularly frustrating to me. Being able to pass down advice and tips to new consultants on my team and have them excel early on in projects has been a very rewarding experience for me.