Consultant Spotlight - October 2022

How long have you been with miLEAD? 

I’ve been involved with miLEAD for just over a year now.

What is the focus of your research?

As a PhD candidate in the Pharmacology department, my work focuses on investigating how a post-translational lipid modification called palmitoylation influences the molecular signaling pathways underlying heart disease.

What are your career goals? 

Following my anticipated graduation in May 2024, I plan on entering a management consultant role full time.

What roles have you played on projects? 

So far, I have worked as a consultant on projects conducting both primary and secondary research. From these roles, I’ve had the opportunity to get experience generating a marketing strategy for a type of artificial intelligence, as well as sourcing information to inform the development strategy of a GPS asset-tracking device. As a rising Project Manager, I also recently had the opportunity to work on the organizing team for the Midwest Healthcare Case Competition. There, my work focused on marketing strategy, booklet generation, and heading the Day-of logistics for the event.

What led you to seek out milead?

Around the time that I was accepted into miLEAD, I was heavily exploring a variety of industry-related careers. Given that the breadth of opportunities for PhD graduates these days is considerable, it can be really helpful to narrow things down by gaining personal experiences in key areas of interest. As consulting was a field that piqued my interest more than most, I thought it would be a good way to test-drive the work of a consultant. As luck would have it, I did indeed end up enjoying it and have been trying to find more ways to get involved ever since.

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

From helping me learn how to thrive in a team-based work environment, to considerably elevating my confidence in client-facing situations, working with miLEAD has allowed me to grow in a variety of areas that complement the skills I’ve gained in the lab. On top of that, I feel more comfortable discussing business topics/strategies that a year ago would have gone over my head. Overall, it’s been a great way to prepare for a future career where both scientific and business acumen will be necessary.

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

As an organization, miLEAD attracts some of the best and brightest of the university’s graduate community, and so having the chance to interact with many of them to solve novel problems together has been quite rewarding. In terms of mentorship, the advisors, both on my projects and as part of the MHCC organizing team, have also been immensely helpful and I’m thankful for those mutual learning relationships I’ve been able to develop as a result!