Accomplished scientists connect with doctoral students and postdocs through QB3-Berkeley’s Professionals in Residence (PIR) program: each semester, PIR mentors visit campus for daylong residencies that feature career talks, small group advising, and one-on-one opportunities for mentorship for graduate students and postdocs. These accomplished scientists share their expertise on career exploration and job searching with UC Berkeley’s bioscience trainees, covering a wide range of career paths that utilize advanced scientific training.
2022-2023 PIRs
Elizabeth Alcamo, PhD
COO Seawolf Therapeutics and Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Versant Ventures
Miki Yamamoto, PhD
Vice President and Head Of Regulatory Affairs
Arrivent Biopharma
Miki's profile & advice
Andy Hsieh, PhD
Senior research analyst and partner
William Blair & Company, LLC
Andy's profile & advice
2021-2022 PIRs
Faith M. Dukes, PhD
Director, Office of Government and Community Relations, K-12 STEM Education Programs
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Faith's profile & advice
Erin Dueber, PhD
Senior Principal Scientist, Department of Early Discovery Biochemistry
Genentech
Erin's profile & advice
Lydia The, PhD
Partner
McKinsey & Company
Elise A. Kikis, PhD
Associate Professor and Chair of Biology
University of the South (Sewanee)
Elise's profile & advice
Don't miss this unique opportunity for mentorship!
Interested in becoming a PIR? This is what our accomplished scientists are saying about their experience:
- “My day at UC Berkeley as a PIR reminded me once again about the incredible pool of talent at the University. The opportunity to encourage them to consider the industry as a career choice hopefully provided them with a more balanced view of the professional opportunities waiting for them to explore.”
- “This was a great experience…the immediate feedback from the students made it very rewarding.”
- “I like the idea of giving back to Berkeley… If I can participate in this and help even one person, then I think it’s worthwhile and paying back to all those before me who helped me.”
List of Past PIRs
- Jodi B. Yellin, PhD, Director of Science Policy at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Read about Jodi’s work advocating for medical colleges and trainees here
- Gary Lee, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Senti Biosciences. Learn about Gary’s experience and insights on how graduate students can prepare for a career in industry here.
- Tracy Teal, PhD, Executive Director, Dryad. Read the QB3-Berkeley interview with Tracy on her experience transitioning from doing basic research to working in a nonprofit setting, where she supports the development of improved infrastructure for the greater scientific community.
- Mike Holmes, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Ambys Medicines. Mike reveals his pioneering work in genome editing techniques in gene therapy, and his path from student to industry leader in this interview.
- Rachel Bernstein, PhD, Editor, Science Careers, AAAS. Take a look at our featured interview with Rachel, about her journey from science writing to writing about the scientific community.
- Debkishore Mitra, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Lucira Health
- Alan Sachs, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Lenny Teytelman, PhD, CEO and co-founder of protocols.io
- Katie Krolikowski, PhD, Professor of Biology and Biotechnology at Contra Costa College
- Laleh Shayesteh, JD, PhD, Assistant Director of Administration and Senior Licensing Officer with UC Berkeley’s Office of Intellectual Property & Industry Research Alliances (IPIRA)
- Alison Moore, PhD, Chief Technical Officer, Allogene Therapeutics
- Hemai Parthasarathy, PhD, Scientific Director of Breakout Labs (part of the Thiel Foundation) and CSO and Partner in Breakout Ventures
- Veronique Kiermer, PhD, Publisher & Executive Editor, PLOS
For more information about the QB3-Berkeley Professionals in Residence program, contact Rosanne Lurie at rlurie@berkeley.edu.