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.
2024-2025 PIRs
Suzanne Baker, PhD
Department Head, Cellular and Tissue Imaging and Computational Senior Scientist
Berkeley Lab
Suzanne's Profile & Advice
2023-2024 PIRs
Natalia Caporale, PhD
Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
UC Davis
Natalia's event info
Jaime Yassif, PhD
Vice President of Global Biological Policy and Programs
Nuclear Threat Initiative
Jaime's profile & advice
Arne Bakker, PhD
Director of Meetings and Community for Science
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Arne's profile & advice
Kara Norman Lino, PhD
Director of R&D, Diagnostic Development
Thermo Fisher Scientific
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
- Bilge Ozaydin, PhD, Director, Strain Discovery and Development group at Pivot Bio
- Andy Hsieh, PhD, Senior research analyst and partner at William Blair & Company, LLC
- Miki Yamamoto, PhD, Vice President and Head Of Regulatory Affairs at Arrivent Biopharma
- Katja Brose, PhD, Science Program Officer at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
- Elizabeth Alcamo, PhD, COO Seawolf Therapeutics and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Versant Ventures
- Faith M. Dukes, PhD, Director, Office of Government and Community Relations, K-12 STEM Education Programs at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Erin Dueber, PhD, Senior Principal Scientist, Department of Early Discovery Biochemistry at Genentech
- Lydia The, PhD, Partner at McKinsey & Company
- Elise A. Kikis, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair of Biology at the University of the South (Sewanee).
- Christine Ring, PhD, JD, General Counsel and Secretary of Nurix
- Timothy Day, PhD, CSO and Co-founder of DNALite Therapeutics.
- Seth Lieblich, PhD, Principal of 8VC.
- Jodi B. Yellin, PhD, Director of Science Policy at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
- Gary Lee, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Senti Biosciences.
- Tracy Teal, PhD, Executive Director, Dryad.
- Mike Holmes, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Ambys Medicines.
- Rachel Bernstein, PhD, Editor, Science Careers, AAAS.
- 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.