Career Possibilities Panel & Speed Networking - Strategic Growth & Alliances including Portfolio Strategy, Business Development, and PartnershipsAs the STEM landscape continues to evolve, professionals are increasingly embracing non-linear career paths that reflect their expanding skills, interests, and goals. This series is designed to support STEM professionals navigating career shifts—whether exploring new sectors, pursuing leadership roles, or transitioning into emerging fields. The panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, and transferable skills for those looking to make a change. Tatiana Demidova-Rice will moderate the panel. Panel to include:
Date and Time: Agenda: Location: Cost: Given our mission is to promote women's development in STEM we would like to offer a free spot in our workshops to those in transition between jobs or who cannot afford the ticket price. Please contact [email protected] if you qualify.
Register HereSpecial thank you to our sponsor:
Panelists Bios Swarna Balasubramanian brings over a decade of experience in identifying, evaluating, and nurturing early-stage scientific innovations and startups in the life sciences industry. She currently serves as the Director of Business Development—Search and Evaluation at AstraZeneca, focusing on licensing and collaboration opportunities for drug candidates targeting Respiratory and Immunology indications. Previously, Swarna was part of AstraZeneca's Emerging Innovations Unit, where she catalyzed early-stage novel science and technology in drug discovery and development. Earlier in her career, she played a pivotal role in the entrepreneurial US-UK leadership teams at Acidophil and related companies, where she contributed to building startups and raising venture capital financing. Swarna holds a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where her research focused on studying astrocyte responses to 3D micro-environments Victoria Bartlett is Vice President, Head of Program and Alliance Management at Soufflé Therapeutics, bringing over 25 years of biopharmaceutical experience in program, alliance, and portfolio management. Previously, Victoria built the program management function at Verve Therapeutics, supporting gene editing programs and strategic partnerships. Following Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ acquisition of Akcea Therapeutics, Victoria joined Ionis to manage cardio-renal partnerships. At Akcea, she served as Senior Director, overseeing Phase 2 clinical programs for three antisense oligonucleotides: pelacarsen, vupanorsen, and olezarsen/TRYNGOLZA™. Earlier in her career, Victoria spent six years as a bench scientist at Paratek Pharmaceuticals before transitioning to leadership roles at Wyeth Research/Pfizer, Moderna, and CRISPR Therapeutics. She holds a Bachelor’s and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Liverpool and completed a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Aruna Ramachandran, PhD is an alliance management and strategic partnerships leader with deep experience across academic research, precision oncology, biotechnology, and global pharmaceutical collaborations. She currently serves as R&D Alliances Lead at Astellas Pharma, where she manages key pre-clinical research and early development partnerships across therapeutic areas, modalities, and geographies. Aruna began her career as a scientist, earning her PhD in Life Sciences and completing postdoctoral research at Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard. She later held scientific program and alliance leadership roles at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, including serving as the institution’s first alliance manager. She subsequently joined Foundation Medicine, where she managed strategic alliances in precision oncology, real-world data, and biomarker-defined clinical trials. Aruna brings expertise in alliance governance, stakeholder alignment, conflict resolution, change management, executive communication, and cross-cultural collaboration. She is especially interested in how strong partnerships can expand value, accelerate innovation, and advance meaningful outcomes for patients.
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