NRSC 2101: Alternative Careers to Academia
Great course to explore careers in Biology that are not academia. Features speakers each week from different professions. See schedule below!
NRSC 2101-800 Topics in Neuroscience: Alternative Careers to Academia
(1 credit; Mondays 3-4 pm, MCOL W100)
NOTE: our same room is also reserved 4-4:30 pm for anyone who would like to hang out and chat further with the speaker! (NOT required – just providing the opportunity)
Jan 13 Wendy Charles (Chief Scientific Officer [CSO], BurstIQ, Greater Denver Area) has a Masters in Neuropsychology (1996) and PhD in Clinical Science with a specialty in Health Information Technology (2018). Wendy was a varsity Volleyball player and Psychology/Neuroscience undergraduate, graduating with Honors from UC-Boulder. She received her Masters from the University of Memphis., focusing on the effects of psychological distress on recovery from mild traumatic brain injury. When U Memphis discontinued their PhD in Neuropsychology, Wendy took a hiatus from academia. After raising young children, she became a Clinical Research Consultant with Stark SMO (Site Management Organization) for 2 yr, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance, and then became an Institutional Research Review Board Manager for Rose Medical Center (Denver) for 2 yr, managing human research protocols and regulatory compliance and overseeing ethics and human subject protections. She moved on to be Director of Urology Research Operations, overseeing a research center conducting human clinical trials for ~2 yr. Moving to National Jewish Health (Denver), she served as Director of Research Regulatory Affairs for 6 yr before joining Denver Health serving sequentially as the business/pharmacovigilance manager, operations manager of the research department, and research compliance manager overseeing research compliance and human clinical trials. During this period, she became trained in Blockchain plus she completed her PhD at that University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. As of December 2019, she became the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of BurstIQ (https://www.burstiq.com), which provides blockchain and artificial intelligence solutions in health care.
Jan 20 - Martin Luther King Holiday - no class
Jan 27 Chris Butt (Research & Development [R&D] Business Segment Lead, DSM, a science-based company specializing in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living; Boulder) has a bachelor’s in biology with a chemistry minor from Vanderbilt University, PhD in Neurobiology from Univ. Kentucky (2000) and was a postdoctoral fellow in Neurochemistry, Pharmacogenetics and Addition at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder. After serving as an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Radiation Safety Officer at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Chris left academia to become a Principal Scientist in the Discovery Neuroscience group of Martek Biosciences. When Martek was bought out by DSM, Chris has gone up the administration of DSM, first as Principal Scientist - Biological Models, then Prinicple Scientist II – Translational Biology, then Site Director, and now R&D Business Segment Lead, leading a global R&D team, coordinating $2 million in R&D resources for nervous, immune, bone, and gut systems, and develop R&D relationships and new ventures.
Feb 3 Ellen Stothard (Research and Development Director at Colorado Sleep Institute; Boulder) received her Bachelor’s in Psychology & French from The Ohio State University, and both Masters and PhD in Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience from the University of Colorado-Boulder (2017). Her graduate research focused on understanding how daily activities, especially sleep/wakefulness behaviors and light exposure, can lead to altered behavioral decision making and adverse metabolic health outcomes. After graduation, she became a Grant Officer with the Office of Grants and Contracts at the University of Colorado-Boulder. She moved from there to serving as the Research and Development Director for the Colorado Sleep Institute in Boulder. Here she continues to pursue her interest in sleep research.
Feb 10 Larry Gold (Founder, Chairman of the Board, former Chief Executive Officer [CEO], SomaLogic, Boulder) has been a Professor in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology department at the University of Colorado-Boulder since 1970, receiving innumerable research and career awards and serving as the Chair of the department 1988-1992. Starting with basic research on bacteria and bacteriophage, the lab shifted to a focus on human disease upon the invention of the SELEX process in 1989. In line with Larry’s focus on utilizing biological and information technology to improve healthcare, he founded a series of biotechnology companies including Synergen (acquired by Amgen), NeXagen (which became NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, which then merged with Gilead Sciences), and SomaLogic. Within these ventures, he served numerous roles, including Chairman of the Board, Executive Vice President of Research & Development, Chief Science Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Director of Research, etc. SomaLogic is focused on translating the language of proteins into the language of health. Their SomaScan Platform measures thousands of human proteins in a single blood sample and uses sophisticated computer modeling to translate those protein measurements into meaningful, personalized health information for the individual being tested. SomaLogic is developing a growing menu of SomaSignal tests for a diverse set of human diseases and conditions, offering the deepest possible view into a person’s health status and direction to guide health management. Larry has recently become Chief Executive Officer of Lab79, which leverages data and technology in unprecedented ways to reimagine healthcare as a more personal, accessible, and intelligent experience.
Feb 17 Graham Lau (Communicator of Science, Cosmobiologist/Astrobiologist; Director of Communications and Marketing, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Boulder) trained in biology and chemistry as an undergraduate, and went on to study astrophysics, geological sciences and astrobiology (PhD, University of Colorado-Boulder, 2017). He has done research on metabolic genes in marine diatoms, biota from the stratosphere, and geochemistry of Arctic springs. He explores our place in the cosmos, with astrobiology providing a bridge between modern science and other approaches to understanding our place in the universe, including philosophy, sociology, art, law, and spirituality. Graham specializes in sharing science with the public. From public talks and blogging to museum exhibit facilitation, Graham communicates science with people of all ages and backgrounds. In his role as Research Scientist and Director of Communications and Marketing for the Non-Profit Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, he focuses on social media development, product and talent marketing, communications, and content development. He also serves as Trip Leader for National Geographic and New York Times Student Expeditions, to help students find ways to effectively communicate complex topics in science, and is a writer and editor of Sciworthy, a science news site that focuses on taking the findings from recent research and making the information more accessible to the general public.
Feb 24 Maureen Ostaff (Scientific Communications Manager, Inari Medical, Monument, CO) received her Diploma in Molecular Biology from the Universitat Hohenheim, majoring in genetics, and minoring in medical microbiology. She received her PhD from the Eberhard-Karls-Universitat Tubingen. After serving as Science Manager in the Cardiology Department, Medical Clinic in Heidelberg, she became a Medical Research Scientist at the Robert Bosch Gesellschaft for medical research, where she did research management, project and process management, statistical analyses, scientific writing, and science public relations. Moving to Denver, she was a Research Fellow at UC-Denver/Anschutz. Leaving academia, she moved to Spectranetics as a Scientific Communications Manager for 3 months, then serving as Scientific Communications Manager at Image Guided Therapy Devices for a year. Since 2018, she has been employed as a Scientific Communications Manager by Inari Medical, a medical device company focused on removing blood clots without drugs or a hospital stay.
Mar 2 Kara Nyberg (Independent Medical Writer, Consultant; Chief Science Officer (CSO) and Founder, Wellspring Digital; Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Global Healthcare Marketing and Communications) received her Bachelor’s in Biology from Harvey Mudd College, training in science writing in Santa Fe NM, and her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona (2003). She has served as a medical writer for Clinical Care Options, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Medscape/WebMD, the Synchrony Group, PharMecha LLC, PharmaHEALTHLabs, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, Projects Knowledge, Chesapeake Biotech Partners, CurtisLearning LLC, Cadence Communications & Research, Institute of Medicine, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and PeerView Institute for Medical Education, amongst others. In addition to medical writing and consulting, she serves as the Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Global Healthcare Marketing and Communications, which provides service to clients around the world with all aspects of medical meetings, designing and delivering highest quality slide presentations for medical communication, and healthcare educational content
Mar 9 Sam Henderson (Chief Scientific Officer [CSO] at Cerecin; Boulder) received his Bachelor’s in Biology from University of St. Louis and his PhD in Genetics from the University of Chicago. Sam has more than 15 years of experience in neurodegenerative disease research. Before leaving academia, he investigated the genetics of aging with the Institute of Behavioral Genetics at the University of Colorado – Boulder and was the Lead Scientist at GenoPlex, Inc. researching anti-aging technologies. Cerecin is focused on developing novel evidence-based therapeutics and prodcuts that aim to help millions of people. Their therapeutics and products are designed to target conditions ranging from memory impairment to Alzheimer’s disease and other devastating neurological diseases.
Mar 16 Abby Ginsberg (Senior Director, Marketing Sciences, HIV Business Unit; San Francisco, CA) received her Bachelor’s in the Biological Basis of Behavior from University of Pennsylvania, Masters in Psychology and PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a focus on stress hormone regulation (2005). Abby then pursued postdoctoral research at UCSF, focused on the neural link between stress and obesity. Upon leaving academia, Abby became a Senior Market Research Analyst for 2 yr with WWMR, a market research firm. She left WWMR to join Gilead Sciences in 2010. She has moved up the ranks from Marketing Sciences Manager, to Senior Manager of Marketing Sciences in the Cardiopulmonary Business Unit, to Associate Director of Marketing Sciences for the Liver Business Unit, to Director of Marketing Sciences for the HIV Business Unit for Treatment and PrEP, and now as Senior Director of Marketing Sciences for the HIV Business Unit for Treatment & PrEP. Gilead Sciences is a leader in the development of antiretroviral therapeis for HIV/AIDS. This has led to 11 commercially available HIV medications and a robust pipeline of next-generation therapeutic options. Today, 12.5 million people are receiving Gilead HIV therapies in low- and middle-income countries thanks to Gilead’s efforts to expand global access.
Mar 23 – Spring Break – no class
Mar 30 Amy Hein (Director of Scientific Workforce, Ripple Effect; Bethesda, MD) received her Bachelor’s in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester, and her PhD in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Colorado – Boulder (2009). While doing postdoctoral research at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Amy became a Science and Technology Policy Fellow of the National Academies. From there, she served as a Guest Editor for the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology for 2 years and a year as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow, at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institutes of Health, Washington, D.C. She then transitioned for 3 yr as an Advisory Scientist for Strategic Analysis Incorporated (Arlington, VA) to provide technical programmatic support on a portfolio of neuroscience projects in the areas of training, influence and injury. She then joined the Ripple Effect (Rockville, MD), first as a Senior Science Officer, providing technical and grant management support in the areas of Traumatic Brain Injury, Psychological Health, and Alzheimer’s Disease, then as a Project Manager, managing technical service support contracts with government clients, and now as the Director of Scientific Workforce. Ripple Effect works with federal, private, and non-profit clients to support some of the most crucial policies and programs that shape our nation, including research and evaluation, program management and policy, and communications and outreach.
Apr 6 Tim Schaewe (Principle Research Engineer-Medtronic Brain Therapies-Neurosurgery; Boulder) received his Bachelor’s and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Washington University-St. Louis (1991). Upon graduation, he became an Advisory Engineer/Senior Engineer for IBM Federal Systems Company, and then Co-Found of IntellX. From there, Tim became a Principle Engineer of Parexel Inernational/Perceptive Informatics, the industry’s leading eClinical solutions provider, which provides medical imaging services, interactive voice/web response systems, electronic data capture, clinical trial management systems, electronic patient reported outcomes, and system integration services. He then returned to academia as a Sen specializiior Member Research Staff at the Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, UCLA for 7 yr. From 2012, he has served as a Principle Research Engineer for Medtronic Brain Therapies – Neurosurgery, Boulder. His specialties include brain mapping, image-guided surgery, clinical research, and maximization of likelihood of likelihood and/or entropy.
Apr 13 Julie White (Pathologist, for the Preclinical Contract Research Organization [CRO] Bolder BioPATH; Boulder) trained as a pathology resident at Tufts Veterinary School and then became the Comparative Pathologist first for the Bronx Zoo (2003-2007) and then for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (2007-2018) before joining the staff of Bolder BioPath. Bolder BioPATH is a contract pharmacology and pathology company specializing in In Vivo models of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease as well as aother autoimmune and inflammation models. Their goal is to provide preclinical efficacy and toxicity data to support advancing proteins and small molecules to Investigational New Drug stage. Contract Research Organizations (CROs) provide essential research support of a very wide breadth of indications, so is broadly appropriate for researchers of very diverse backgrounds.
Apr 20 Bryn Rees (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation and Managing Director of Venture Partners at CU Boulder) received his Bachelors in Biochemistry from the University of Victoria, a Masters in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University, Boulder, and a Masters in Biotechnology from the University of Toronto. From there, he became an Associate in Research & Development Alliances at GlaxoSmithKline (2 yr), followed by a position as Senior Technology Transfer Officer at the University of British Columbia. Returning to Boulder (2009), he joined the team at the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office, rising in the ranks from Licensing Associate, to Licensing Manager, to Senior Licensing Manager, to Associate Director, and then Interim Director. With the formation of Venture Partners and the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) at UC Boulder, Bryn became the Managing Director of Venture Partners (2016) and then Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation (2018). Bryn will be joined by his colleague Nicole Forsbert (Business Development Associate). Nicole leads the efforts for Venture Partners at UC Boulder and its corporate collaborations. Nicole connect UC Boulder innovators with the global business community, enabling UC Boulder inventions to make an ampact in society by accelerating the time from lab to market. Prior to joining CU, Nicole was the Program Manager at KTH Innovation in Stockholm, Sweden. Prior to that, she was Head o new Business for the North American marketplace at an industrial technology company and has also been the Head of Customer Engagement for a Medical Technology startup based in Stockholm. She has received a Masters in Environmental Science with a specialization in entrepreneurship and business strategy.
Apr 27 Sandra McQueen (Robotics: Autonomy Product Lead, Amazon; formerly CANVAS Technology; Boulder; Co-Founder of CANVAS) received a Bachelors in Economics from University of California, Santa Cruz. (1991). She left academia to become a research associate with Arthur D Little, Inc., an international management consulting firm (3 yr). From there she was a Product Manager for Infoseek, an internet search engine (1 yr), and then Group Product Manager for WebTV (4 yr). She moved from there to become a Marketing Consultant for software and service companies, specializing in tech start-ups and non-profits (3 yr). Sandra took on the position of Director of Marketing of Presto, as one of its first employees, helping families and friends stay connected by making it easier to share digital content (2 yr). Moving up to Vice President of Marketing, she served this role for Care2 (social network for people dedicated to living a healthy, sustainable life) for 1 yr, Amber Composites (leading supplier of materials used to create high performance lightweight structures) for 5 yr, and TRB Lightweight Structures (2 yr). Relocating to Boulder from the United Kingdom in 2015, she became a Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing and Product for CANVAS Technology. CANVAS is an industrial robotics company which was acquired in 2019 by Amazon. They create fully autonomous self-driving cart systems in highly complex and ever-changing industrial settings, which combines computer science, computer vision, advanced programming, engineering, and robotics