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Looking for a one-on-one opportunity to discuss tips on navigating your career in industry? Join us for our Postdoc Career Night, an opportunity for UBC postdocs to interact with industry members who will share their perspective and answer questions. The speed mentoring session will be followed by a wine and cheese networking event.
This event provides UBC PDFs with the opportunity to meet face-to-face with experienced industry members and in return for them to engage with UBC’s rising star scholars. Please note that it is not required to meet with mentors within your own discipline, in fact it is recommended that you meet with a variety of Industry mentors who could provide the most beneficial and enriched perspective.
Postdoc Career Night is a fun, fast-paced event in which PDFs will have the opportunity to interact with as many expert mentors as possible. Mentors from all areas of training will be participating, to offer advice to postdocs. Questions can be regarding topics such as:
- Job search strategies
- Informational interviewing
- Interview process
- Knowing where you are going
- Skill development
- Collegiality and independence
- Life balance
- Gender differences
- Industry specific challenges and opportunities
Only those PDFs who have registered will be able to participate in this session. Please note attendance is mandatory for this session and by signing up you have committed to attend. Postdocs who register but fail to attend may not be permitted to attend future mentoring events.
Registration
Registration in this event is required and is now closed.
Please ensure you come prepared with questions and please keep in mind it is a great industry networking event where first impressions go a long way.
Industry Mentors:
- Dr. Rosalia Aguirre-Hernandez - Bioinformatics Scientist, Contextual Genomics Inc. (view biography)
- Dr. Alan Bostakian, Manager – Professional Development, Accreditation and Partnership, Human Resources Management Association (HRMA) (view biography)
- Darren Frew - Director of Planning and Communication, BC Bioenergy Network (view biography)
- Dr. Carol Friedrich-Fong - Program Head and Instructor, BCIT/UBC Biotechnology Program (view biography)
- Dr. Naomi Galinski - Product Support Specialist, Copperleaf Technologies (view biography)
- Dr. Nirupa Goel - Project Manager, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (view biography)
- Dr. Sarah Howie - Urban Environmental Designer, Corporation of Delta (view biography)
- Dr. Eric Hsu - Principal Data Scientist, Millennial Media (view biography)
- Dr. Grace Lee, Senior Manager, STEMCELL Technologies and Private Business Owner (view biography)
- Dr. Quak Foo Lee - Plant Manager, S2G Biochemicals Inc. (view biography)
- Dr. David Ng - Director, Advanced Molecular Biology Lab (AMBL), UBC Michael Smith Laboratories (view biography)
- Dr. Steve Seredick - Business Development Specialist, Zymeworks Inc.(view biography)
- Dr. Cynthia Shippam-Brett, Manager of Intellectual Property, Avigilon (view biography)
- Dr. Anton Smessaert - Data Scientist, Visier (view biography)
- Dr. Valerie Walker - Director of Policy, Mitacs (view biography)
- Dr. Geraldine Walsh - Science Writer, Canadian Blood Services (view biography)
- Dr. Rhonda Wideman - External R&D and Alliances, Zymeworks Inc. (view biography)
- Dr. Sherry Zhao - Development Specialist, Mitacs (view biography)
Industry Mentor Biographies
Bioinformatics Scientist, Contextual Genomics Inc.
I held a PhD from UBC where I worked in the CS department doing research on computational RNA secondary structure design. As a postdoctoral fellow at the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre, I conducted research to identify genetic variations associated with inflammatory diseases by using microarray analysis and whole genome-association studies. Then I worked for several years at Zymeworks doing research and development of computational and statistical methods to address practical problems in rational drug development. Currently, I am a Bioinformatics Scientists at Contextual Genomics where I develop computational and statistical tools for the quality assurance of genomic-based assays to provide genomic-based diagnostics to cancer patients.
Manager – Professional Development, Accreditation and Partnership at the Human Resources Management Association (HRMA)
Alan’s education includes a doctorate in Business Administration and Management (California), Project Management Mastery (Stanford University), and a number of other credentials. Additionally, Alan has achieved multiple professional designations including Master Project Manager (USA), Registered Professional Recruiter (Canada), Certified Business Manager (UK), Registered Professional Trainer (Canada), Certified Department Trainer (USA), Master Management Consultant (USA), and Accredited Member of Association of University Administrators (UK).
Prior to his current role as the Manager – Professional Development, Accreditation and Partnership at the Human Resources Management Association (HRMA), he held various roles including College Director, Training & Development Director, CLO, and Project Manager.
He has an extensive background in Talent Development, Corporate University Architecture, Adult Training, Leadership Development, Management Accreditation, Certification, and Enterprise & Workplace Learning fields. Alan also had three years of teaching experience as a Management Instructor (HR, Leadership, Business, and Hospitality Management courses) as well as a Career & Professional Development Coach.
Alan is a member of the International Quality Group, Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and a Management Consultants Advisory Council Member of the International Management Consultants Board.
He was a Member of Business Strategy Body of Knowledge Development Team, Canadian Business Strategy Association, as well as an Expert Panel Member for design of a Corporate University Accreditation System at Asia Society of Corporate University.
Director of Planning and Communication, BC Bioenergy Network
Darren Frew has led business development, mentorship and communication in BC’s technology sector for more than 20 years. He has been the Director of Planning and Communication with BC Bioenergy Network since September, 2009. He is also a committed mentor for both graduate and undergraduate students. He served five years as a Mentor with the MBA program at UBC’s Sauder School of Business; he is also a mentor with the Student Biotechnology Network.
Darren holds a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Calgary (1982).
Darren has enhanced his public speaking and leadership skills with Toastmasters International in British Columbia for the past eight years. Darren was named Outstanding Toastmaster of the Year in British Columbia for 2010/2011.
Darren is regularly invited to speak about leadership and communications to a variety of organizations, including the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators, the Council of Forest Industries, Douglas College, the Financial Management Institute of Canada, the Human Resources Management Association and UBC.
When he’s not talking, Darren enjoys cooking, gardening, losing golf balls and visiting wineries throughout BC.
Program Head and Instructor, BCIT/UBC Biotechnology Program
Dr. Carol Friedrich-Fong is the Program Head and an instructor of Biotechnology and Molecular Genetics in the UBC-BCIT joint Biotechnology program. In addition, Carol currently sits on the Internal Review Panel and the Communications Program Advisory Committee at BCIT. Carol has been involved in curriculum development and has also acted as Program Coordinator of the Biotechnology Associate Certificate program and the Career Awareness high school workshop.
Carol obtained her honours Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology at the University of Alberta. She received her PhD from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of British Columbia under the direction of Dr. Robert E. Hancock. Her research focused on the structure/function relationships of novel antimicrobial peptides and their mechanism of action on gram positive bacteria. Carol continued with a post-doctoral position at Health Canada in Burnaby for 2 years prior to accepting a position as an Instructor at BCIT. Carol has been an Instructor for various courses over the years such as Microbiology for Nursing, Microbiology for Nuclear Medicine, Microbiology for Environmental Health, Regulatory Affairs and Laboratory Safety.
Carol enjoys travel, the outdoors, singing in a choir and being a soccer mom.
Product Support Specialist, Copperleaf Technologies
Dr. Naomi Galinski is a 3rd tier technical support specialist at Copperleaf, a software company that does financial analysis for electricity companies. She is half Austrian, half Japanese, and was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. After high school she moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, to do her bachelor and masters degree in astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh. For her masters she studied the structure of nearby galaxies using infrared images. Her passion in astrophysics, and the desire to ski, made her come to Vancouver, Canada, to pursue a PhD in experimental nuclear astrophysics, the study of nuclear reaction in stars. During her PhD she won a government scholarship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences which funded 3 years of her studies.
Naomi’s original plans, after finishing her PhD in 2013, were to continue with a postdoc and follow the academic career path. Due to lack of opportunities in astrophysics, and academia in general, she decided to switch into the industry. She fell in love with Vancouver, so she went on a mission to find a job in the Greater Vancouver. She received an NSERC IRDF grant to do medical nuclear physics research with a Cyclotron company based in Vancouver, but declined it because her heart was not into physics anymore. She wanted something new, different, and fresh. In Sept 2014 she landed a permanent job at Copperleaf. Her troubleshooting and analytical thinking skills are ideal for troubleshooting complex technical support issues. Copperleaf is a medium sized company, growing fast, so she gets to dabble in many different tasks. Learning new non-academic skillsets is fun and she is excited about the opportunities she has in this company.
Project Manager, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Nirupa Goel is a project manager with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, located at St. Paul’s Hospital. In this role, Nirupa is responsible for coordinating many research activities, including clinical trials, community-based research projects, and health systems evaluation, all focused on addictions and substance use. She is currently facilitating a peer-led outreach project with substance users in the Downtown Eastside. In addition, Nirupa assists with health policy development and strategic planning, working towards transforming the health care system for substance use disorders. To achieve this, she is responsible for establishing and maintaining partnerships with senior leaders of the health authorities and BC Ministry of Health, in addition to community members and education/research institutions.
Nirupa received a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania and continued her research as an MSFHR-funded postdoctoral fellow at UBC. While at UBC, she joined the Postdoctoral Association, eventually becoming its President in 2011. Though Nirupa spent 10 years conducting research on the neurological and physiological responses to stress, she really wanted to pursue a career in public health and health policy (but did not want to go back to school!). She went on to complete two fellowships in science and health policy: one at the National Academy of Medicine, working with the Roundtable on Population Health Improvement, and one at the National Institutes of Health, both in Washington, DC. She is thrilled to be back in Vancouver and to be involved in both research and health care.
Urban Environmental Designer, Corporation of Delta
Sarah Howie is a landscape architect with the Corporation of Delta. She has a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation, from the University of British Columbia. Sarah has been designing and managing the construction of rain gardens and other green infrastructure projects in Delta since 2005. Sarah also has a PhD in peatland ecohydrology from Simon Fraser University, and has spent the past 10 years managing the hydrological monitoring and restoration of Burns Bog in Delta.
Principal Data Scientist, Millennial Media
Eric Hsu is a Principal Data Scientist at Millennial Media, applying statistical optimization techniques to the digital advertising domain. Here a representative application might involve, for instance, predicting which web site is the best place to display a given ad, based on historical data.
He has almost twenty years of experience combining Artificial Intelligence technologies and standard software engineering work in a variety of commercial settings, prior to relocating to Vancouver from the U.S. in 2015.
In terms of large-scale organizations, he has served as a research scientist on government-sponsored projects at SRI International in Menlo Park, California; and by virtue of its recent acquisition of Millennial Media, he is now employed by AOL, Inc. On the other end of the spectrum, he has worked in start-ups numbering as few as thirteen engineers, in the Boston and San Francisco Bay areas.
With heavy involvement in the recruitment and hiring process for scientists entering the commercial technology sector, he is particularly interested in sharing insights and experiences into how the most successful approaches for this setting might differ from conventional wisdom about more traditional industries.
Eric holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Philosophy from Harvard University, and completed his Master's and Doctoral programs in Computer Science at Stanford University and University of Toronto, respectively.
Senior Manager, STEMCELL Technologies and Private Business Owner
Dr. Grace Lee is a neuroscientist, public speaker, marketing strategist, food blogger, and entrepreneur. She received academic training from the University of Edinburgh, University of Columbia, and University of Washington. Her research in neuroscience was fueled by deep interests in understanding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and traumatic brain injury. Her contributions to medical science literature comprise of research findings on neurodegenerative diseases and healthcare ethics.
Dr. Lee was elected President of Postdoctoral Association at UBC, where she led numerous educational seminars and workshops focused on career development, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. Frustrated with the academic system, she became engaged in online marketing and translated her experience into ecommerce. After two years of her postdoctoral fellowship, she quit to pursue her marketing business and later accepted a management position in biotech at STEMCELL Technologies Inc. She continues to be a committed peer mentor to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
She works with the Vancouver Board of Trade to advocate for greater support in British Columbia for small business owners to thrive in this uncertain economy; she was elected Chair of Communications for the Small Business Council and regularly takes on speaking engagements in front of the local business community.
Plant Manager, S2G Biochemicals Inc.
Mr. Lee has over 15 years of research and industrial experience primarily in the fields of clean technology and renewable energy. In his current position as Plant Manager and R&D Engineer in S2G Biochemicals Inc., Mr. Lee is managing and overseeing $10M state-of-the-art biomass sugars to bio-glycols pilot plant in Vancouver. Prior to joining S2G Biochem, he was the Vice President of Production for CF Biofuel, Vice President of Project Development for Maple Leaf Green World Inc., and the founder of ChmlTech. Mr. Lee has provided consulting services to several international biodiesel companies. Mr. Lee earned a bachelor degree (B.A.Sc.) in Chemical Engineering at University of New Brunswick and completed his Masters of Applied Sciences (M.A.Sc.) in Chemical and Biological Engineering at University of British Columbia.
Director, Advanced Molecular Biology Lab (AMBL), UBC Michael Smith Laboratories
David Ng is a geneticist, science educator, and faculty based at the UBC Michael Smith Laboratories. He is Director of the Advanced Molecular Biology Lab (AMBL), which is a fully equipped research lab that specializes in educational programs and is in the fortunate position of being resourced to provide a superb learning environment complete with state of the art equipment. In all, many of AMBL’s programs centre on a mandate to train scientists (university students, faculty, and industry professionals) and to inform the public at large on the societal, cultural, economic, political, and ethical nuances of the sciences. David is also supervising a number of research projects that look at various areas of science literacy - in particular, those that explore notions of science and creativity, as well as the use of game-based learning in STEM.
Of note: (1) he is partly responsible for the massive DNA helix emblazoned on his building’s facade; (2) his Dad beat up Bruce Lee; (3) his first foray into general publishing featured a unicorn on the front cover; and (4) his lab studies things like Pokemon and creativity. Learn more at bioteach.ubc.ca.
Business Development Specialist, Zymeworks Inc.
Dr. Steve Seredick is an analyst in the business development group at Zymeworks which he joined in 2014. He is responsible for competitive intelligence, and identifying and evaluating in-licensing opportunities. Steve earned a BSc in Biochemistry (UBC), and a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology (UBC) where he studied bacterial gene regulation and co-founded the Student Biotechnology Network. He was awarded an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship and joined the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon investigating the mechanisms segregating motoneuron from interneuron fate during vertebrate development.
Manager of Intellectual Property, Avigilon
Cynthia is currently the Manager of Intellectual Property at Avigilon, and has been working with innovation management, intellectual property strategy, and research for over 20 years. Before joining Avigilon in January 2015, she was the in-house patent agent at SWITCH Materials and UBC’s University-Industry Liaison Office, and was a patent agent with Gowlings, a leading national law firm. At UBC, her work was instrumental in founding several spinoff companies, who later became her clients in private practice. Cynthia is an IP Discussion Leader and member of the ‘Bank of Speakers’ for the Canadian intellectual Property Office educational programs, and is an invited speaker in the engineering and business schools at SFU, UBC and BCIT. Cynthia is a Canadian and US-registered Patent Agent, and has a BSc (Biochemistry) from UVic, a PhD (Agriculture) from UBC, and an MBA from SFU.
She remains a life-long Star Wars fan; is an enthusiastic judge for FIRST Robotics and science fairs: and has danced flamenco.
Data Scientist, Visier
Dr. Anton Smessaert is a data scientist at Vancouver tech company Visier. The goal of Visier is to deliver intuitive analytics and planning solutions in the cloud built to answer key business questions, predict future events, and optimize planning. As a member of the Product Management team and lead data scientist for Visier, he is responsible for the development of advanced numerical algorithms and statistical techniques that generate business insights from human resource data.
After completing his MSc, specializing in Computational Physics and Machine Learning in Berlin, Germany, Anton came to Vancouver in 2011 to further his studies in Computational Physics. His research focussed on fundamental mechanical processes of plastics at the molecular level and he completed his PhD in 2015. He joined Visier during his last months as a student and has recently completed his first year with the company.
Director of Policy, Mitacs
Valerie Walker is the Director of Policy at Mitacs, a Canadian not-for-profit whose mandate is to develop the next generation of innovators through a suite of unique research and training programs. Dr. Walker speaks regularly on research and innovation policy with audiences across Canada. She maintains strategic relationships with key government and policy leaders on innovation policy, as well as on evaluation methods for research and innovation programs. She is the author of several recent policy papers including Leveraging Canada’s Innovation Ecosystem: Opportunities to Increase R&D Investment in Canada and the 2013 Canadian Postdoc Survey: Painting a Picture of Canadian Postdoctoral Scholars. Prior to joining Mitacs, she worked at the Public Health Agency of Canada, conducting research and advising on topics including health inequities, obesity, and mental health. Val was recruited to the Government of Canada through the Recruitment of Policy Leaders Program following the completion of her PhD in Physiology from McGill's Faculty of Medicine in 2009. She looks forward to sharing her own experiences during and after the completion of her PhD as well as exciting opportunities available for postdocs through Mitacs.
Science Writer, Canadian Blood Services
Dr. Geraldine Walsh is a scientific writer with the Canadian Blood Services’ Centre for Innovation. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Geraldine completed a PhD at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and then moved to Vancouver to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at the Biomedical Research Centre, University of British Columbia. Following her postdoctoral studies, Geraldine realized her passion lay in communicating scientific findings rather than generating them and since 2010 she has been working as a scientific writer. Geraldine supports Canadian Blood Services’ research and development scientists with writing, editing and preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. As a member of the knowledge mobilization group at Canadian Blood Services' Centre for Innovation, Geraldine coordinates a program called ResearchUnits - writing accessible summaries of research findings for publication online. Her role includes helping the Centre for Innovation develop an integrated knowledge mobilization plan to improve the impact of the research being conducted at Canadian Blood Services, and her days are filled with interesting conversations with scientists, clinicians, communications specialists and other stakeholders across the country. When not extolling the virtues of clear communication, Geraldine enjoys the great outdoors. A recent move to Squamish, BC means getting outside to mountain bike, ski, trail run and enjoy BC’s natural beauty is easier than ever.
External R&D and Alliances, Zymeworks Inc.
Dr. Rhonda Wideman serves as Manager of External R&D and Alliances at Zymeworks, a Vancouver-based biotherapeutics company that is advancing a portfolio of bi-specific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates. She works across the full spectrum of business development and alliance management activities, including identification and evaluation of strategic alliances and R&D relationships, negotiation of licensing and collaboration agreements, and managing ongoing alliances with strategic partners. She previously worked as an independent consultant offering strategic planning and scientific and business analysis services to a range of life sciences clients, and at the PROOF Centre of Excellence, where she was responsible for biomarker discovery and development activities, including technical assessment, business development, and intellectual property management.
Dr. Wideman holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia, where her research focused on novel approaches for treating diabetes using cellular and gene therapy. She completed a MBA in Management of Biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in 2010. Dr. Wideman is a past recipient of NSERC's Canada Graduate Scholarship, CIHR's Science to Business Scholarship, and BC Innovation Council's Ripples of Hope Award in Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship, and was an invited participant at Novartis' International Biotechnology Leadership Camp in 2009. She serves on the Community Board of Directors for Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House.
Development Specialist, Mitacs
Dr. Sherry Zhao obtained her BSc from Peking University before coming to UBC for her PhD study in Analytical Chemistry. She was a graduate intern at Genentech, and also a Mitacs Accelerate intern at a local biotech company. She discovered her interest in communications and project management through serving on UBC Graduate Student Career Development Task Force, volunteering with various organizations, and later working as the Executive Coordinator of Let’s Talk Science, UBC.
With the passion to support collaborative research and student training, Sherry is now co-appointed by UBC and Mitacs Business Development Specialist. She is actively helping business address challenges by connecting them with university talent and expertise. She, leveraging her cultural and language heritage, is a member of UBC China Council.