By Grace Sferrazza (CAS’26, COM’26)
Biopharmaceuticals is a rapidly growing industry. But it’s possible you’ve never heard of it.
In fact, students Justin Arrick (CAS’26) and Lili Hyde (CAS’26) bet this is the case for most natural science students at Boston University.
“From personal experience, many students are unfamiliar with opportunities outside of medicine and academia,” says Hyde, a biochemistry & molecular biology major.
Biopharmaceuticals, or biopharma, is an increasingly lucrative sector of the pharmaceutical field dealing with the creation of medical therapies and treatments from biological organisms—like vaccines.
“What drew me to biopharmaceuticals is the opportunity to contribute to the development of life-changing drugs and cures that can have a real, positive impact on patients’ lives,” says Arrick, a BA/MA student in biochemistry & molecular biology.
So Arrick, a Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) researcher in the Chantranupong Lab, brought an idea to the Arts & Sciences Development & Alumni Relations team: an event to connect alumni in the field of biopharma with current students. Boston is the world’s leading biotechnology hub and many alumni are working in the area, Arrick says—a perfect opportunity for networking.
Arrick and Hyde collaborated with along with Gregg Carlo, associate director of CAS Development and Alumni Relations, to turn Arrick’s idea into “Biopharma Pathways: Strengthening the BU Natural Sciences Community.”
On Feb. 27, 5–6 p.m., BU alumni Alexandre Thibonnier (Questrom’09), senior director and head of global new product planning at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals; Dr. John (Jay) Bladon (CAMED’13,’19), a gene therapy scientist at Sanofi; Isaiah Davis (Questrom’18), director, alliance management at Merck; and Kristin Neff (ENG’90), vice president, clinical operations, at GentiBio, will answer students’ questions and engage in conversations about the biopharma industry. Karen N. Madden (CAS’91), senior vice president & chief technology officer, U.S. & Canada Life Science, MilliporeSigma, will moderate the panel.
The panelists will share their experiences with undergraduate and graduate students across the natural sciences to explore diverse career paths. Bearing this in mind, Arrick selected alumni he knew from different backgrounds across the biopharma industry.
Students can get a taste of different career paths in biopharma, an industry Arrick plans to pursue after graduation.
“The combination of a moderated conversation and informal networking is meant to make those paths feel accessible and encourage ongoing engagement between students and alumni,” Arrick says.
This event is open to both undergraduate and graduate students and will be held in the Eichebaum Colloquium room in Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering.
“The event is designed to highlight the wide span of the biopharma and life sciences industry and show students how their natural sciences majors can translate into many different roles,” Arrick says.