Consultant Spotlight - November 2021

How long have you been with miLEAD? 

I'm nearing 5 months with miLEAD.

What is the focus of your research?

My lab studies autophagy, the process by which various cellular components such as ribosomes, mitochondria, and free-floating proteins are engulfed in a bubble-like vesicle and eventually degraded. This may sound catastrophic, but it's actually essential for clearing our cells of clutter that they no longer need, keeping them healthy.

What are your career goals? 

Unlike a lot of science PhD students, I never had an academia phase. I entered my PhD program thinking I wanted to conduct research in industry. However, consulting has recently caught my attention, and I now think this will be my career path following graduation.

What roles have you played on projects? 

I had the opportunity to work on several different aspects of my last project. I worked on quantifying the size of potential markets, assessing competitors through the compilation of clinical trial data, and identifying a potential acquisition strategy.

What led you to seek out milead?

As the consulting career path started to seem increasingly attractive and viable, I naturally wanted to get a taste of what the job was like. I had competed in a couple of case competition prior to joining miLEAD, and these were great experiences, but they don't provide the degree of practical experience that working on a miLEAD project offers.

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

Just a year ago, I knew nothing about business and consulting. Now, I know slightly more than nothing about business and consulting. It's a totally new arena for most scientists. The way you think about problems, the way you determine solutions, and even the manner in which you present those solutions -- all totally unique in the business world. Working with miLEAD has helped me develop all three of these skills.

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

I've already met a lot of awesome people through miLEAD. While meeting clients has been great, meeting new people within miLEAD has been very exciting. miLEAD is full of highly intelligent, driven, and collaborative people. Before I even finished my first project, I joined a case competition team composed entirely of miLEAD members. A month later, I competed in another competition with an all-miLEAD team, both of which were incredible experiences.