The Lead Candidate

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr Rachael Brake on the show! Rachael is currently Chief Scientific Officer of Abdera Therapeutics, but has more than 20years in biopharma in a career that has gone from academia-to big pharma and more recently the biotech space. She’s sharing how her experiences have helped form her leadership style which is centred on being open to vulnerability and always learning...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Professor Sharath Sriram on the show! Sharath is here to talk about his roles as Chief Scientist of Western Australia, Professor at RMIT University, and long-time advocate for improving Australia’s science and research ecosystem. He shares how he’s built a career along two parallel tracks: leading a research lab developing next-generation medical technologies, while...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr Madusha Peiris on the show! Madusha is here to talk about her roles as CEO of biotech company Elcella and senior lecturer and group leader at Queen Mary University of London.  She’s sharing her stories of how Elcella developed over the past 10 years- starting as a basic science project from her academic research through to a product helping patients with weight ma...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we have Prof Brett Sutton on the show! Brett is here to talk about leading in a public facing role.   He’s sharing his experiences as Chief Health Officer for Victoria’s Department of Health which he held throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and then how he has transitioned to his current leadership role as Director of Health & Biosecurity Research Unit at CSIRO, Australia...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have A/Prof Lee-anne Chapple on the show! Lee-anne is here to discuss her role as Senior Critical Care Dietitian at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and a Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, Australia.   She shares stories about starting a research career when you already have an established clinical role. This episode is a great example of how letting...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have A/Prof Rebecca Lim on the show! Rebecca is here to talk about her roles as Director of Project and Alliance Leadership with CTMC, and research group leader at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research.   She’s sharing how she balances the leadership requirements of these different roles.  If you want to understand the requirements of leadership positions in academia v...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Prof Yugeesh Lankadeva on the show! Yugeesh is here to talk about his role as leader of the ‘Translational Cardiovascular and Renal Research Group’ as well as ‘Head of Systems Neuroscience Theme’ at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. He’s sharing how he grew his research profile to lead a basic science team that collaborates closely with clinicia...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have A/Prof Corey Tutt OAM on the show! Corey is here to talk about his role as CEO of Deadly Science.   He’s sharing his stories of good and bad advice he has received over his journey.  If you’re trying to start something new but you’ve heard a lot of ‘no’ along the way then this episode is for you.   Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info.

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr. Morley Muse on the show! Morley is cofounder and director of iSTEM Co a research, consulting, and talent-sourcing company aimed to enable the employment of women in Australia’s STEM organizations including women of color and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in STEM. She is also the co-founder of DEIR, the Diversity Equity Inclusion Ret...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Prof Alan Duffy on the show! Prof Duffy is here to talk about his role as an astrophysicist at Swinburne University and his recently appointed role as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Flagship Initiatives. He’s also CEO of mDetect as well as a communicator of science in the Australian media.    He’s sharing how he manages these varied leadership roles and how he chooses new on...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr Anand Gautam on the show! He is the Executive Director & Emerging Science Lead (Asia & Asia Pacific) at Pfizer.    He’s sharing his wealth of knowledge from 30 years of experience in various leadership positions in academia, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. If you’re looking for an excellent example of someone who has made career choices firmly alig...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have A/Prof Tina Soulis on the show! Tina is the founder and director of Alithia Life Sciences, VP of Clinical Strategy and Development for Kinoxis Therapeutics and she has a portfolio of overseas-based clients for whom she is the Australian director.   She’s sharing some of the knowledge she has accrued over her time in the biotech sector and why she believes it is so im...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have a special episode of “The Lead Candidate’ featuring our host Dr Simona Carbone! In January of 2023, Simona was invited to present the keynote address to the Melbourne Hub of the National Youth Science Forum. The National Youth Science Forum is based in Australia. It is a not-for-profit organization that runs a series of programs designed to encourage the passion of y...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have George Zafiris on the show! George is one of the Directors of Molecule2Market is here to talk about how he is establishing a new US subsidiary for the Australian company.  George is sharing how he is building his new team. If you’re trying to build a team from the ground up this episode is for you. Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info.

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr Will Jorgensen on the show! Will is the Lead Medicinal Chemist at the biotech company Psylo. He is here to talk about his recent move from a leadership role in academia into industry.   He’s sharing his thought processes as he navigated this decision and how he finds the two different environments. If you’re trying to work out whether to move from academia into in...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr Yee Lian Chew on the show! Yee Lian is here to talk about being an early-stage laboratory leader at a university. She is dropping gems this entire episode   She’s sharing why giving back to the scientific community through service is so important to her.  If you’re trying to balance lab life with roles on different academic committees than this episode is for you....

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr Jill Wykosky on the show! Jill is Senior Director and Head of Neurogastroenterology in the GI Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda Pharmaceuticals and is here to talk about her leadership as part of a multinational company.   She’s sharing how she balances the needs and expectations of more senior management with those of her teams. If you’re trying to understand how to...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Prof Greg O’Grady on the show! He’s Prof of Surgery, directs the Surgical Engineering Lab at the University of Auckland, and is a general and lower gastrointestinal surgeon. His research program has led to the launch of 2 start-ups. He is co-founder and currently CEO of Alimetry and Chief Scientific Officer at The Insides Company.    He’s sharing what he’s learnt in...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Professor Stuart Maudsley on the show! Stuart is Head of the Receptor Biology Lab, Odysseus Professor of Receptor Pharmacology and Vice-Chair of the Department of Biomedical Research at the University of Antwerp. He is here to talk about leadership in academia, and where he thinks it should be going.  He’s sharing advice on choosing the right workplace so you can thr...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Andrea Douglas on the show! Andrea is Senior Vice President of Organisation Transformation at CSL. She’s also a director for many organisations and businesses in Australia. She’s here to talk about balancing the people, business and science aspects of her many roles.  She’s sharing tips on getting the best out of your team. If want to be a positive and enthusiastic l...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Prof Madhu Bhaskaran on the show! She leads the Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Madhu is here to talk about her new role as co-chair of Women in STEMM Australia.    She’s sharing her passion for being a voice for diversity on boards and organisations that she’s part of.  If you’re trying to lead the way...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Jenny Herz on the show! Jenny is here to talk about her role as managing director of Biointelect, and how she works with Karl Herz from Biocelect.    She’s sharing how she and Karl established the two companies and why they work together so well. The business models of Biointelect and Biocelect rely on collaboration, so if you’re trying to understand how to get the b...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Dr. Gianrico Farrugia on the show! Gianrico is here to talk about his role as CEO and President of the Mayo Clinic, an American medical centre that has sites internationally.    Gianrico is sharing how he is using his leadership skills to transform healthcare provided by the Mayo Clinic to their patients.  Since before COVID times, his team have been building a new p...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Elizabeth de Somer on the show! Liz is here to talk about her role as CEO of Medicines Australia.    She’s sharing how she collaborates with  government, clinicians, researchers, and patient groups to ensure the development of sound policies to support patients access to innovative medicines, vaccines and treatments. If you’re trying to lead a group of people with di...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have Prof Fiona Stanley back on the show! Fiona is a former Australian of the Year and Australian Living Treasure. She is patron of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Western Australia, Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Western Australia and an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. This is part 2 of our conversat...