Hemali Advani
Class of 2017

Hemali Advani

Hemali S. Advani (B.E. Biotechnology, Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Mumbai University, India) worked at Bombay Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai as a Research Assistant in Neurology. Her research work primarily focused on Demyelinating diseases (Multiple Sclerosis, Neuromyelitis Optica, Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis) along with review of various other neurological diseases. Her role in assisting with the patient consultation and analysis of clinical reports helped her in gaining an insight on fundamentals of one of the pathosis of neurology; Demyelination. This experience taught her that quality healthcare in ensuring well-being of patient is dependent on synergistic research carried out in close collaboration between medical fraternity and pharmaceutical companies.

The Master of Science in Biotechnology degree at the University of Wisconsin Madison offers a comprehensive coursework that will help her sharpen business and research skills which will equip her with required expertise to successfully counter the challenges of a career in biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry.

Manjistha Ahooja
Class of 2017

Manjistha Ahooja

Manjistha Ahooja (B.E., Biotechnology, University of Mumbai; MSc., Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nottingham, UK) worked at Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai as a Research Fellow at the Molecular Diagnostic and Translational Medicine Department. In addition to her work with research projects and diagnostic tests at TMC, she was involved in preparing project proposals, budgets, quality control procedures, including audits for the lab. Reflecting upon diagnostic testing with regard to patient care, she realized she must broaden her focus beyond science to include practical considerations such as cost, turn-around time, and accessibility and feasibility when developing tests.

She desires to understand the complex process of developing a scientific discovery into a commercialized product with the hope of benefiting clinicians, patients and diagnosticians alike. She strongly feels that this degree will increase her business knowledge and help her gain a deeper understanding of the practical aspects of technology transfer, thereby enabling her to function competently across academia and private industry.

Jay Campbell
Class of 2017

Jay Campbell

Jay M. Campbell (B.S., Conservation Biology, UW-Madison) was a Research Specialist/Instrumentation Specialist at UW-Madison for many years. He has years of experience researching cellular and molecular biology utilizing Transmission Electron Microscopy [TEM]. More recently he has been a trainer of undergraduate and graduate students in sample preparation methods and operation of TEMs.

He entered the Master of Science in Biotechnology program to refine his skills and experience to align with the rapidly growing biotechnology industry and to add business and ethics training to his strengths in the sciences. He hopes to gain extensive knowledge in the operations of biotechnology companies and be prepared for future challenges in the industry and competitive job market.

Pratyusha Chelikani
Class of 2017

Pratyusha Chelikani

Pratyusha Chelikani (M.Sc., Biochemistry, Osmania University, India) worked for four years in Thomson Reuters Services India Pvt. Ltd. While working on technologies and patents of various Ivy League universities, she chanced upon the research work done in UW-Madison and was very impressed. Little did she know that fate would conspire for her to move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That's when she decided she belongs in this program.

This strong, interdisciplinary and innovative program combining biotechnology, business and law will serve as a foundation for understanding the biotechnology industry and its unique regulatory challenges. She is confident this experience will help hone her leadership skills and prepare her for a career in the dynamic pharmacology industry.

Adam Dunn
Class of 2017
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Study Toxicologist

Adam Dunn

Adam T. Dunn (B.S., Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire) works as a Study Toxicologist at Covance Laboratories Inc. He works with representatives from pharmaceutical companies on the design, implementation, and monitoring of pre-clinical toxicology studies. In addition, he assists in writing the toxicology reports used for submission to regulatory agencies in order to move promising compounds into clinical testing.

Adam chose the M.S. in Biotechnology Program because it will challenge him to move beyond his understanding of pre-clinical toxicology research and allow him to immerse himself in more unfamiliar components of pharmaceutical industry such as technology assessment and business strategy. The curriculum will present him with real-life decisions that pharmaceutical companies face as they progress from compound selection to global marketing strategies. Gaining a deeper understanding of this process will uniquely qualify him for the career advancement necessary to continue pursuing a passion for developing the life-saving medicines of our future.

David Ealy
Class of 2017
Employer: Covance Labs Inc.
Title: Senior Study Technician

David Ealy

David Ealy (B.S., Biology, Chemistry, University of Illinois) is currently a Senior Study Technician at Covance Laboratories in Madison. He carries out early development non-clinical safety assessment studies for pharmaceutical companies, with a specialty in small animal infusion doses.

David was drawn to the integrative approach that the M.S. in Biotechnology takes towards business, law, and science. He hopes to use the curriculum to advance his knowledge as well as develop an education and career blueprint for his future.

Kathy Harings
Class of 2017

Kathy Harings

Kathleen S. Harings (B.S., Biology, Edgewood College) has worked at several area biotechnology companies including SAFC Pharma as a Quality Assurance Scientist, EMD Biosciences as a Research and Development Scientist in Protein Analysis and Aldevron as a Protein Purification Scientist. During her career in biotechnology, she has experienced a buyout, a site closure and a site move. While confident in her skills as a scientist, she particularly views the business and legal parts of the curriculum as a way to gain a solid understanding of the industry as a whole and the reasons for some of the changes she has witnessed firsthand.

The program fits well with her goal of expanding her scope of expertise to include aspects of the biotechnology business outside the laboratory to pursue new opportunities in the field.

Jussip Mukhatayev
Class of 2017
Employer: BioTechnique
Title: Validation Scientist

Jussip Mukhatayev

Zhussipbek Mukhatayev (B.S., Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University) has worked as a researcher at M.A. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. He was working on breast cancer early diagnosis and prognostication through TP53 gene mutations and M. tuberculosiss resistance through genome sequence analysis to support diagnostic development.

The M.S. in Biotechnology program will provide him an in-depth, hands-on experience in the field of biotechnology. As a scientist dedicated to working in the biotechnology field, he wants to possess a solid entrepreneurial background in order to transfer scientific findings from research laboratories to a successful commercial product.

Alexandra Procak
Class of 2017
Employer: Deloitte
Title: Business Analyst/Consultant - Life Sciences Division

Alexandra Procak

Alexandra A. Procak (B.S., Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison) joined the M.S. in Biotechnology Program as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Surgery. She was responsible for coordinating multiple surgery clinical trials. She has earned the designation of Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), which demonstrates her commitment to conducting ethical and scientifically valuable clinical research.

The knowledge and experience she gained through the M.S. in Biotechnology Program helped her shape a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by biotechnology companies in their efforts to bring new technologies to market. She was especially interested in learning more about the business, legal, and scientific processes that must occur in order to develop and deliver new drugs, devices, and biologics to the patients who need them most.

After in a very competitive recruitment process, Procak was hired by Deloitte as a Business Analyst/Consultant in their Life Science Division. She begins this new career endeavor in fall 2017.

Caleigh Rasmussen
Class of 2017
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Associate Scientist

Caleigh Rasmussen

Caleigh A. Rasmussen (B.S., Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is currently an Operations Associate Scientist at Exact Sciences in Madison. She works as a scientist manufacturing Cologuard, the first and only FDA approved stool DNA noninvasive colorectal screening test. She has found her responsibilities rapidly branching into other departments across the company such as Product Development, Sales, Quality Control, and even Information Technology.

She hopes to increase her knowledge of business operations, project management and gain the leadership skills necessary to meet her passion to excel. The M.S. in Biochemistry Program is tailored to position her to not only meet, but exceed her expanding duties at Exact Sciences.

Sherry Salzman Scott
Class of 2017
Employer: Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation
Title: Senior Editor

Sherry Salzman Scott

Sherry A. Salzman Scott (B.S., Biology, University of WisconsinStevens Point) currently works at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (a division of Marshfield Clinic Health System, Marshfield, Wisconsin) as Senior Editor for the medical research journal, Clinical Medicine & Research, owned and published by Marshfield Clinic Health System. She is responsible for management and administration of the editorial and publishing operations of the journal. Sherry has previous research experience studying molecular and cellular actions of TGF-² in various forms of cancer.

Sherry was drawn to the M.S. in Biotechnology programs unique curriculum fusing science with business and law, and believes the program is a perfect fit for her broad interests in scientific research. She looks forward to refreshing and expanding her bench research skills, while gaining in-depth knowledge of business and legal principles and practices within the sciences that will afford her additional opportunities within scientific research.

Melanie Tyler
Class of 2017

Melanie Tyler

Melanie M. Tyler (B.A., Biology, St. Marys University) is currently an Associate Pharmaceutical Scientist in the Science and Technologies division at AbbVie in North Chicago, IL. She provides technical support for commercial biologic drug products by leading analytical test method transfers, evaluating innovative technologies, ensuring product quality through drug product stability testing, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

She thinks the Biotechnology program at UW-Madison will further strengthen her scientific background and develop her business skills with its cross-disciplinary coursework. Ultimately, she anticipates the program will broaden her expertise and give her the flexibility to explore other roles in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Zhongwei Wang
Class of 2017

Zhongwei Wang

Wang, Zhongwei (B.S., Biotechnology, Tongli University, Shanghai, China) was a Researcher at Genesky Biopharm Technology Co., LTD, in Shanghai, China. He accumulated extensive biomedical engineering expertise working there. The experience exposed him to advanced technologies in the field of genetic engineering and broadened his horizon significantly.

The M.S. in Biotechnology was his preferred degree program for its visionary academic environment, comprehensive education system, and congenial learning climate. He feels the fast-paced curriculum building around team projects and extensive written and oral communication exercises will help sharpen his project management and communication skills. The program, fusing science, business and law, will provide him with the cross-functional expertise required in the global biotechnology industry.

Kathy Warren
Class of 2017

Kathy Warren

Katherine A. Warren (B.S., Chemistry, Clarke College) is a Staff Scientist at Covance Laboratories Inc. She works directing studies in the Pharmacokinetic Screening group in the Drug Metabolism Department. The types of molecules that are being tested have changed greatly over the years. The workload now consists of a large percentage of large molecules.

She feels that this program will further her knowledge of the biotechnology/large molecule industry so that she can better understand the technical, business and legal environments where her customers reside.