Futures in Life Sciences Panel Discussion and Networking Event  - A Discussion of Career Paths in

Bio-Informatics, Systems Biology, and Modeling

Date: September 11^th 2012

                Location:  MassBio Offices, Cambridge, MA 02142

                Time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm

If you are a MA-based full time student interested in attending this event, financial assistance is available through the Stay in MA program.  Please visit www.stayinma.com

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who will detail their roles and will provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions. 

Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry.  Space is limited to 100 individuals. Food and refreshments will be provided.

The event will focus on the various career options within the Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, and Modeling areas of the life sciences sector where individuals with advanced degrees can thrive. 

Meeting Agenda:

5:30pm-6:00pm– Registration and Open Networking

6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors

6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion

      Moderator:

     - James A. Rogers, Ph.D., Principal Scientist- Statistics, Metrum Research Group

      Panelists:

     - Timothy Galitski, Ph.D. Head of Science & Technology, EMD Millipore

     - Scott Thomas  Senior Director, Predictive and Computation Sciences, AstraZeneca 

       Pharmaceuticals LP

     - Matt Onsum, Associate Director of Research, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals

     - Jason M. Laramie, Ph.D. Director of Integrative Genomics, GNS Healthcare

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Upcoming Events in the Series:

October 16^th: Commercialization 2 (Reimbursement, Pharmacoeconomics, and Market Access) Career Paths - http://fils72012.eventbrite.com/  

November 20^th: Finance, Legal, Operations Career Paths - http://fils82012.eventbrite.com/

About the Moderator and Panelists

James A. Rogers, Ph.D., Principal Scientist II - Statistics, Metrum Research Group

Jim Rogers is a Principal Scientist with Metrum Research Group, a leading provider of biomedical modeling and simulation services in the U.S.A. and internationally. He has broad experience working as a statistician in the biomedical industry, including applications in genomics, biomarker discovery and development, preclinical-to-clinical translational modeling, and clinical trial design. In 2008, after working for five years as both a clinical and a non-clinical statistician at Pfizer Global Research and Development, Jim joined Metrum Research Group in order to work in closer collaboration with experienced quantitative biologists and pharmacometricians. Since joining Metrum, Jim has been involved in numerous projects involving simulation-based assessment of clinical trial designs (including adaptive designs) as well as model-based meta analyses to support comparative effectiveness claims. Additionally, Jim is the group lead for Metrum's statistics and data management lines.

Timothy Galitski, Head of Science & Technology, EMD Millipore

Timothy Galitski is presently the Head of Science and Technology at EMD Millipore.  He earned his PhD in the University of Utah's Department of Biology where he identified mechanisms of chromosome rearrangement and studied the origin of genetic variation. His research earned him the 1996 James W. Prahl Memorial Award for the Outstanding Graduate Student at the University of Utah Medical Center. With a fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, Dr. Galitski went on to a postdoctoral position at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Whitehead/MIT Center for Genome Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There he combined functional genomics, genetics, and computational methods to reveal global patterns of gene expression specifying cell type and developmental potential in yeast. For this continuing work, Dr. Galitski was awarded the prestigious 2001 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences.

Scott Thomas, Senior Director, Predictive and Computation Sciences, AstraZeneca

As a Director in the Predictive and Computation Sciences group at AstraZeneca, Scott Thomas is accountable for identifying innovative information and knowledge management solutions, providing stewardship of the Research and Developments Predictive Sciences information strategy and developing the department’s predictive sciences capability.  Previously Scott held positions of Director of Scientific Service Development, Global Director of Scientific Informatics and Discovery Information Site Director, R&D Boston.  He spent two years abroad working on an international assignment in the UK, from 2006 to 2008. Scott has worked in the Pharmaceutical industry since 1992, and is currently based at the R&D Boston site. Prior to joining AstraZeneca in 2002 he worked at Amgen, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and MDL Information Systems.  His experience spans from Programmer/Analyst to Director of Scientific Informatics. His diverse experiences and perspective allow him to manage multi-disciplinary teams to solve researcher’s information problems. In his personal life, Scott is a family man that enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons travelling, participating in outdoor activities and sports of all kinds.

Matthew Onsum, Ph.D., Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA

Dr. Onsum is an Associate Director of Translational Research at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals.  He is currently leading the translational research program for MM-111, a bi-specific antibody designed to treat ErbB2/ErbB3 positive tumors. Prior to joining Merrimack, he spent two years at AstraZeneca R&D Boston, where he used model simulations to help identify new drug targets.  He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. His doctoral work, under the supervision of Adam Arkin and Kameshwar Poolla, used both computational and wet biology to study how immune cells track and capture invading microbes. Additionally, he was a member of the Alliance for Cellular Signaling where he developed mathematical models of GPCR mediated calcium signaling and model validation software.

Jason M. Laramie, Ph.D. , GNS Healthcare, Director of Integrative Genomics

GNS Healthcare is a big data analytics company that has developed a scalable approach for the discovery of what works in healthcare, and for whom.  I oversee a group of scientists working on client projects utilizing a diverse set of genomic based datasets and endpoints across a variety of therapeutic areas.  Prior to joining GNS Healthcare, I was the Director of Collaborations for Complete Genomics and prior to Complete Genomics, I was a Principal scientist and Human Genetics Lead in the Applied Quantitative Geno-therapeutics group at Pfizer.  I graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, Washington University in St. Louis with a Master of Science in Computer Science and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Boston University in Bioinformatics.

About the Organizers

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org. 

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning.  MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.massbioed.org. 

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry.  Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders.  The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship.  To learn more, visit http://www.propelcareers.com.