Conducting Research in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies
Monday, December 6, 2021, 5:30 – 6:30 PM CST
Interested in pursuing industry research in the biosciences after your PhD? Join our panel this week to learn more about conducting research in biotech & pharmaceutical companies. Our panelists will discuss their transition from academia to industry, the recruiting/interview process, work/life balance, the different positions that exist, career mobility, and more.
Bryan Clay, PhD
Principal Scientist, Pfizer
Dr. Clay received his bachelor’s of science in Biological Sciences from DePaul University and his PhD in Immunology from the University of Chicago. During his tenure at the University of Chicago he researched costimulatory signals into T cells and dendritic cells that augment Th2 differentiation and Th2-mediated lung inflammation in the laboratory of Dr. Anne Sperling. He is currently a principal scientist at Pfizer in Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics. While at Pfizer, he has researched the effectiveness, mechanism and safety of novel therapeutic vaccines in various diseases including asthma and cancer. He has used his research experience in T cells and dendritic cells to investigate topics such as how adjuvants can influence the development of T follicular helper cells and how different cancer vaccine platforms, monoclonal antibodies and small molecule immunomodulators can augment the anti-tumor immune response. His current primary research focus is oncolytic viruses and how modulating the virus can improve the tumor microenvironment and T cell response resulting in tumor growth inhibition.
Dana Catherine Gilmore, PhD
Senior Scientist, TCR² Therapeutics Inc.
Dr. Gilmore received her PhD in Immunology from the University of Chicago in 2017. Upon moving to Boston, she entered biotech, first working at Compass Therapeutics on antibody discovery in immune-oncology and autoimmunity. Currently, Dr. Gilmore is a Senior Scientist at TCR2 Therapeutics. In her role, she manages a team working on enhancing cellular therapy products for use in solid tumors and adapting the company’s platform for future expansion into autoimmunity.
Domenick Kennedy, PhD
Senor Scientist, AbbVie
Domenick Kennedy, PhD is a Molecular and Cellular Immunologist. He performed his graduate training at Loyola University Chicago in the Laboratory of Katherine L. Knight, PhD. His Postdoctoral training was carried out at the University of Chicago in the Gwen Knapp Center for Lupus and Immunology Research, Department of Medicine with Marcus R. Clark, MD. In his current role, Domenick performs innovative drug discovery research at AbbVie as a Senior Scientist of Chemical Immunology and Emerging Therapeutics.Louise Scharf, PhD
Sr. Scientist I, Immunology, 23andMe Therapeutics
Louise earned her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 2010 for her work in Erin Adams’ lab on the molecular basis of self and foreign lipid antigen presentation and recognition by gd T cells. She completed postdoctoral work in Pamela Bjorkman’s lab at the California Institute of Technology, where she studied how the immune systems of some HIV-infected people produce antibodies that neutralize most known HIV strains and applied her findings to engineer antibody-based therapies and vaccine immunogens to treat or prevent HIV infection. She is currently a Senior Scientist in Discovery Biology at 23andMe Therapeutics where she leads a team of scientists focused on the discovery and validation of novel immune-related drug targets. She also leads cross-unctional project teams for research-stage drug discovery programs focused on addressing unmet needs in the treatment of immune diseases. During her scientific career she has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on 6 patents.
