Careers in Discovery

Most Biotech careers aren’t built on big breakthroughs; they’re built on tough calls. In this episode, Grahame Mackenzie shares what it really takes to build in Biotech, from scaling tiny teams into clinic-delivering companies to knowing when to kill your own projects. He breaks down the mindset shift many scientists struggle with letting go of emotional attachment to the science, making ruthless...

In this episode, Andrea Braun-Scherhag, SVP and Global Head of Regulatory Affairs & Safety at Autolus, breaks down what it really takes to bring breakthrough therapies to market, especially when there’s no established playbook. From securing rapid global approvals to navigating entirely new pathways in cell and gene therapy, she shares why regulatory sits at the centre of Biotech success. Andr...

What does it really take to progress from bench science to leading a Biotech platform as Chief Scientific Officer? In this episode of Careers in Discovery, Daniel Tardiff, CSO at Camp4 Therapeutics, shares a candid look at building and scaling science inside an early‑stage biotech. From his foundations in RNA biology to advancing antisense programmes for haploinsufficiency-driven neurodevelopmenta...

In this episode of Careers in Discovery, Adrian Gabriel Torres, Chief Scientific Officer at Aptadel Therapeutics, talks about developing RNA aptamer–based cancer therapies and leading scientific strategy in a preclinical biotech start-up. Adrian also shares his journey from academic research into industry, reflecting on the differences between academia and biotech, learning new skill sets, managin...

This week on Careers on Discovery, we’re joined by Rachel Abbott, CEO of Pan Cancer T. Rachel shares her journey from academic science into biotech leadership, reflecting on the pivotal moments that shaped her career - from early setbacks at university to working on T‑cell therapies that reached patients, and ultimately stepping into a first‑time CEO role. We discuss Pan Cancer T’s work developing...

This week on Careers in Discovery, we’re joined by Ignacio Moraga, CSO and co‑founder of TECRegen. Ignacio shares his journey from Madrid to the Pasteur Institute, Stanford and Dundee, and now into biotech entrepreneurship. We talk about his work regenerating the thymus to rejuvenate the immune system, the science that inspired TECRegen, and the emerging opportunities in healthy ageing and immunot...

This week on Careers in Discovery, we’re joined by Sarah Almond, VP of Translational Biology at NRG Therapeutics. Sarah shares her journey from early lab work to leading translational science on a first in class neurodegeneration programme. We talk about the serendipity that shaped her career, the importance of early hands-on experience, and how redundancies opened unexpected doors. Sarah reflects...

This week on Careers in Discovery, we’re joined by Jonathan Levenson, CSO at FireCyte Therapeutics. Jonathan shares his unconventional journey from early curiosity about biology to a career spanning neuroscience research, Biotech innovation, and scientific leadership. We explore his transition from academia to industry, the lessons he learned building discovery platforms and leading translational...

From academic deep‑tech to the front lines of Biotech entrepreneurship - Eline Koers’ journey is a masterclass in courage, clarity, and reinvention. After years immersed in structural biology and membrane protein folding, Eline realised she wanted her work to have real‑world impact. That shift pulled her out of academia, into translational science, and eventually into founding AAB Therapeutics - a...

In this episode of Careers in Discovery, Tyler is joined by Marc Damelin, Chief Scientific Officer at Alphina Therapeutics. Marc shares his journey from physics undergraduate to Biotech leader, and how a love of problem‑solving gradually drew him from yeast genetics into human disease and ultimately into drug development. After a decade in big pharma working on antibody–drug conjugates, he steps i...

From Romania to Roche to cutting-edge Biotech, Roxana Dreghici has carved out a remarkable career in drug development - and she’s done it with grit, clarity and the courage to leap into the unknown. Now VP of Musculoskeletal at Edgewise Therapeutics, Roxana shares the pivotal moments that shaped her journey: from her early days coordinating clinical trials in Texas, to building a name for herself...

This week on Careers in Discovery, we’re joined by Peter Hamley, Founder and CEO of Scripta Therapeutics.  Peter didn’t follow the typical founder path. After a long and successful career in big pharma R&D and business development, he made the leap into Biotech with a mission: to unlock the potential of transcription factors in treating neurodegenerative diseases. What followed was a complete...

Kathryn Golden didn’t set out to be a scientist. In fact, she made her parents promise she wouldn’t have to become one when she enrolled at a science-focused high school. But a chemistry class changed everything, setting her on a path from MIT’s bioprocessing labs to senior leadership roles in Biotech and pharma.  Now VP of Technical Operations at Ottimo Pharma and co-founder of Sunflower Therapeu...

Ofer Haviv didn’t take the usual route into Biotech. With a background in economics and finance, he began his career far from the lab - but a long-standing passion for biology brought him back to science in an unexpected way.  Now CEO of Evogene, Ofer shares how he moved from CFO to spinning out a company at the intersection of AI and biology, building platforms to discover small molecule therapeu...

Sylke Poehling didn’t set out to lead one of the world’s most advanced gene therapy companies - but a love for drug discovery and a career built on curiosity, courage and conviction brought her there.  Now CEO of Spark Therapeutics and SVP at Roche, Sylke joins us on Careers in Discovery to share her journey from academia into Biotech, how Spark pioneered the world’s first FDA-approved directly ad...

What does it take to build a Biotech from scratch - with no data, no academic spinout, and nothing but two founders and two laptops? In this episode of Careers in Discovery, we’re joined by Federico Paoletti, CEO & Co-founder of Exogene, to find out. Federico shares the story of how he went from a PhD in cancer biology to co-founding an Oxford-based immuno-oncology Biotech, working at the inte...

We're bringing you something a little bit different this week... After 6 years and almost 200 episodes of Careers in Discovery, Singular CEO Tom Froggatt is passing the torch to a new host - and we're delighted to introduce Tyler Olding. In this episode, the tables have turned, and the transition begins with - for the first time - an interview with Tom himself. Listen in to learn more about the br...

From the moment he walked out of a cinema showing Jurassic Park aged 10, Samir Ounzain knew he wanted to work with DNA. That early obsession turned into a career dedicated to understanding the 98% of our genome that doesn’t code for proteins - what’s often referred to as the “dark genome.” In this episode, Samir shares the personal and scientific journey that led to founding HAYA Therapeutics, a B...

When it comes to brain health, few people have dedicated more of their career to pushing the field forward than Rafal Kaminski, Chief Scientific Officer at Angelini Pharma. In this episode of Careers in Discovery, Rafal shares the journey that’s taken him from medical school in Poland to leading R&D efforts across UCB, Roche, and now Angelini. Along the way, we explore his deep commitment to n...

This week on Careers in Discovery, we’re joined by Martin Brenner, CEO and CSO of iBio and one of Biotech’s most experienced R&D leaders. Martin shares his journey from pharmacologist to global R&D executive, with leadership roles at Pfenex, Recursion, AstraZeneca, and Stoke Therapeutics. Now at iBio, he leads a company developing gene therapies for rare diseases - while applying lessons f...

This week on Careers in Discovery, we’re joined by Erica Barnell, Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of Geneoscopy. Erica shares how Geneoscopy is transforming gastrointestinal health with a platform that uses RNA biomarkers from stool samples to diagnose, monitor, and help prevent colorectal cancer and other GI diseases. She talks about the inspiration behind the company, building a patient-fri...

This week’s guest on Careers in Discovery is Michael Lutz, CEO of Iota Sciences and Osteolabs. Michael leads two innovative companies - one pioneering single-cell and stem cell handling technologies, the other developing early diagnostics for osteoporosis and bone metastasis. He shares his journey from chemist to Biotech entrepreneur, what he learns building capital-efficient businesses, and why s...

In this episode of Careers in Discovery, we're joined by Paulo Fontoura, Chief Medical Officer at Xaira Therapeutics. Paulo shares his journey from neurology and academia into big pharma and now Biotech, reflecting on what he learns along the way. He talks about Xaira’s bold mission to use AI not just to speed up drug development, but to rethink how we do it entirely - overcoming human limitations...

This week on Careers in Discovery, we're joined by Tim Sparey, Executive Chair at Tay Therapeutics and Non-Executive Chair at Concr. Tim shares his journey from early days as a medicinal chemist at Merck to a career spanning business development, CEO roles, and now chairing multiple early-stage Biotech companies. He talks about the shift from operator to portfolio leader, how he evaluates new oppo...

Ashley Zehnder is the CEO & Co-founder of Fauna Bio, a company that uses comparative genomics and evolutionary biology to identify novel drug targets by studying how other species resist and recover from disease. In this episode of Careers in Discovery, Ashley shares her journey from exotic animal vet to cancer biology PhD, and how that unique background leads her to explore biology through a...