Ahmed Ahmed
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Study Technician

Ahmed received his bachelor's degree in biology with an emphasis in healthcare science from UW-Oshkosh. He currently works at Covance Laboratories as a Study Technician where he runs study specific protocols for clients. Ahmed is also a Certified Nursing Assistant, and worked as a care giver and problem solver at St. Mary's Care Center. He is able to use this experience as he also serves as the human resource manager at his family's home care business.

Ahmed is interested in learning how new technologies and innovations in biotechnology come to market, and ultimately play a significant role in the process to affect a positive change in peoples' lives.

Lindsay Baird
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Study Technician 2, Metabolism-InLife

Lindsay graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a concentration in animal biology. She currently works at Covance Laboratories as a Study Technician 2 in the Metabolism-InLife department where she is responsible for the collection and documentation of data in the areas of animal observations, test material administration, and clinical sample collections. She is also authorized to handle radioactive materials and collect samples. Lindsay’s work at Covance has increased her interest in working with a wide variety of animal species, making sure that safety measures are met, and why she wants to become a more skilled researcher.

Lindsay’s expects to utilize the theories and practice from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program and apply it directly as she becomes more involved in study direction and a principle investigator.

Alexandra Bess
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Analyst I

Alexandra is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in biohemistry and a minor in Chemistry. She is currently working as an Analyst I at Covance Laboratories, where she performs chemical testing of in-house products and learning the specifics of early research and development requirements to bring a product to market.

Alexandra’s goal in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program includes focusing on project design with the intent to bring products to market by thoughtfully bringing together the pillars of science, business, and the law.

Manika Clemente
Class of 2021
Employer: Promega Corporation
Title: Formulations Scientist 1

Manika graduated from Wheaton College with a bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish. She currently works at Promega Corporation as a Formulation Scientist 1. At Promega, Manika is involved in the manufacture of a variety of products used both in-house as well as dispensed for customers. Prior to working at Promega, Manika spent time with working in Bio-Ag industry having worked at Applied Biotech Industries, the R&D facility of Bio-Green Planet.

Manika hopes to learn more about the cutting-edge of technological advancements in the biotechnology industry. She plans on developing her skills and take on a managerial role.

Jennifer Dennin
Class of 2021
Employer: Invenra
Title: Senior Research Associate II

Jennifer received her bachelor’s degree in biomolecular science from UW-Oshkosh. She currently works at Invenra, Inc as a Senior Research Associate II where she works as part of the NGS and Molecular Biology teams and trains new associates on cloning and molecular biology techniques. As part of the Molecular Biology team, she focuses on reformatting phage display hits, cloning protein targets’ DNA into expression vectors, and preparing phage libraries.

Jennifer expects that the diverse knowledge and skills gained from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to expand upon her leadership experiences and play a larger role in the higher level decision making processes that happen as a project lead.

Christopher Douglas
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Research Assistant I, Dose Analysis

Christopher graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. He currently works as a Research Assistant at Covance Laboratories where analyzes dose formulations to confirm drug concentrations and stabilities in effort to ensure the safety of prospective drugs.

Christopher believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow him to transition his career path into early drug development and his interest in understanding protein networks and identifying disease mechanisms for target discovery.

Paul Fenner
Class of 2021
Employer: Promega Corporation
Title: Production Scientist II

Paul received his bachelor’s degree in Biology with a chemistry minor from UW-River Falls. He currently works at Promega in the Fermentation Department as a Production Scientist II where he conducts quality testing for all of the competent cell products. He also is involved in inventory control and updating manufacturing and quality control procedures. Paul’s first job in fermentation was working as a brewer at Potosi Brewing Company.

Paul expects that he will be able to apply the skills and experiences from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program to further his career in operations as a production scientist in the fermentation department, or perhaps shift to transition into research and development.

Victor Jarjue
Class of 2021
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Victor is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. Victor recently moved into the biotechnology industry after accepting a position at Exact Sciences after working as a Medical Laboratory Scientist at the VA Hospital.

Victor is interested in learning more about designing and developing clinical laboratory products, and knows that the interdisciplinary course work at M.S. in Biotechnology will allow him to pursue a career in innovation.

Robel Kebede
Class of 2021
Employer: Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene
Title: Senior Chemist, Environmental Health Division

Robel has dual bachelor degrees in microbiology and neurobiology from UW-Madison. He currently works as a Senior Chemist in the environmental health division at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene where he analyzes various contaminants in water and how it affects public health.

Robel plans on using the foundation he needs. plans on to establish and manage a biotechnology start-up with a global focus to provide cost-effective and efficient products to developing countries. He knows that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will provide the foundational basis he needs to achieve his goals.

Erin Klipstein
Class of 2021
Employer: DuPont Nutrition and Health
Title: Nutrition & Health Project and Portfolio Manager

Erin received her bachelor’s degree at UW-Whitewater and has several certificates in leadership and project management under her belt. She currently works at DuPont Nutrition and Health as a Project and Portfolio Manager where she leads a number of internal stakeholders and customers to plan, execute and control innovation projects from ideation through launch.

Erin is looking to earning her M.S. in Biotechnology degree in order to mover her career forward by expanding her knowledge and becoming a key contributor to the biotechnology industry, particularly in the areas of Probiotics and Microbiome Science.

John Lemmon
Class of 2021
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Production Associate II

John is a UW-Madison graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He currently is a Production Associate II at Exact Sciences where he has been use his problem solving skills not only to assure that quality standards in the lab are met, but also led the development of an inventory master calculator, which has been used to monitor materials, and allow for better negotiation of expenses.

John sees the M.S. in Biotechnology Program as a unique opportunity to fuel his professional growth and becoming a leader in the industry in effort to develop and utilize innovative solutions that improve our health and environment.

Herfrank Loyo
Class of 2021
Employer:
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Herfrank (Frank) received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology at Coe College. He currently works at a University of Iowa Research Laboratory where he is part of the cell culture team, caring for hiPSCs to develop hole brain and cortical spheroid organoids for experimental use.

Frank expects that his work in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will foster his aspirations of becoming a stem cell biologist and work to develop and contribute to the burgeoning stem cell industry in effort to help patients in the need of transplants.

Nikunj Makwana
Class of 2021
Employer:
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Nikunj graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Mithibai College at the University of Mumbai, India, and received a post-graduate diploma in bioinformatics from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of IT and Biotechnology at Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Pune, India. He has taken a number of internships in Mumbai including working for the National Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

Nikunj is looking forward to learning how to further blend science, business, and regulatory aspects together as he pursues his quest to establish a biotechnology company.

Shahzeb Munir
Class of 2021
Employer: UW Health
Title: Internal Medicine Physician (Hospitalist)

Shahzeb earned his medical degree at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Romania, and while working at Mayo Health System also graduated with a master’s degree in public health. He currently holds a position of clinical assistant professor in the division of hospital medicine at UW-Madison.

Shahzeb expects that his studies in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow him to explore emerging genomic biotechnology and serve as the bridge among biotechnology and the healthcare system in terms identification, development, and policy making.

Robyn O'Donnell
Class of 2021
Employer: Johnson & Johnson
Title: Principal Quality Systems Specialist

Robin received her M.B.A. in Health Care Administration from Goldey-Beacon College and her bachelor’s degree in general studies from Wilmington University. She has since moved to Wisconsin from her time in Delaware and Maryland, and is working at Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies as a Principal Quality Systems Specialist. Robyn serves as a quality systems subject matter expert and is responsible for internal and external audits. As a franchise site lead for CAPA and Non-conformance, Robyn support product issue assessments and field action support.

Robyn expects that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to propel her career forward into the coming decades of biotechnology innovation while working for a global company like J&J, whose mindset is health for humanity.

Trey Olson
Class of 2021
Employer: MilliporeSigma
Title: Production Scientist

Trey graduated from UW-Eau Claire with bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and Spanish. He currently works as a Production Chemist for Millipore Sigma where he focuses on safety and quality through cGMP standards. Prior to that, Trey practiced his leadership skills as an Assistant Manager at Culver’s.

Trey is looking forward to learning more about the business and law aspects of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical world and tying it all together as he continues to move his career path forward.

Apoorva Patil
Class of 2021
Employer:
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Apoorva graduated with a degree in biotechnology from Visvesvaraya Technological University. Her final project as Recombinant expression, purification, and activity of lipase enzyme from Bacillus substilis.

Apoorva believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology program will allow her to advance her experiences in science while expanding her management skills as she continues along her career path of becoming a leader in product development.

Sheena Prasad
Class of 2021
Employer: Roche Molecular Systems
Title: Clinical Research Associate II

Sheena received her bachelor’s degree in biological science honors program at the University of the Pacific. Currently, Sheena works at Roche Molecular Systems as a Clinical Research Associate II where she leads and coordinates studies for the post-launch evaluation of molecular diagnostic products in the areas of cancer genomics, point of care, and blood screening platforms.

Sheena expects to advance her skills as a Clinical Research Associate as she expands her knowledge and her biotechnology network. She hopes to take full advantage of not only the M.S. in Biotechnology Program faculty, but also other related areas of the University, including SMPH and more specifically the idea-to-product incubation through WARF as she becomes an executive leader in the biotechnology industry.

Sergio Romero
Class of 2021
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Business Integration Partner

Serge graduated with a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology at Columbia University after completing bachelor degrees in Economics, Chinese, and Asian Studies at UW-Madison. He also received his post-baccalaureate certificate in Stem Cell Technologies at Madison College. Serge currently is a business integration partner at Exact Science in the Organization Engineering Department where he leads and advises on major transformations and is active in helping to design a more change agile organization. Transformations include the following: M&A, brand transformation, organization design, integrating new functional areas, and enterprise system transformation (E.g. SAP and Epic).

Before joining Exact Sciences, Serge was a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton serving the federal markets and a managing consulting at IBM serving global clients undergoing digital transformations.

Serge is passionate about the many potential clinical applications of biotechnology. His goal with the program is to further his understanding of the science underlying biotechnologies and the complex environment in which they are regulated, produced, and commercialized.

Kathryn Sauter
Class of 2021
Employer: Promega Corporation
Title: Program Specialist, Custom Products

Kathryn received her bachelor degree in biology and minors in business administration and music from St. Norbert College. She currently works as Promega Corporation as a Program Specialist in their Custom Products division where she develops relationships between internal and external customers. Kathryn has also served as a member of the Kaizen core team, this interdisciplinary global group focuses on evaluating processes and developing a more streamlined approach to maximize efficiencies.

Kathryn is interested in learning more about how the coursework intermingles in all aspects of the biotechnology industry and growing her biotechnology network. She believes that she will be able to utilize all of the lessons learned as she expands her career pathway into project management where she will be able to collaborate on a global scale.

Ted Savage
Class of 2021
Employer: Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene
Title: Senior Chemist, Toxicology Department

Ted earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry with ACS certification and a minor in mathematics from UW-LaCrosse. He currently works at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene in the toxicology department as a senior chemist where he performs drug screening and quantification for the state.

Ted believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow him to hone his current scientific skills and abilities and expand his knowledge in the areas of business and management that will allow him to be a leader in the area of drug use and abuse in a public health context. He is looking to partner with the biotechnology industry to formulate new and innovative ways to help people who are struggling with drug use and abuse.

Elisabeth Sequeira
Class of 2021
Employer: Catalent Pharma Solutions
Title: Associate Quality Control Stability

Elisabeth received a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology engineering with a concentration in bioprocesses from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. She currently is working as a quality control associate for stability at Catalent where she performs quality control testing under a variety of platforms.

Elisabeth plans on using her new knowledge and skills gained from the M.S. in Biotechnology program to further her career in the biopharmaceutical industry and becoming a project manager.

Garima Singh
Class of 2021
Employer:
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Garima graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences. She has been working in Singapore at Biolidics Ltd (formerly Clearbridge Biomedics Pte. Ltd) as an associate scientist where she serves as the project and technical lead for cellular and molecular assay development for identification and characterization of circulating tumor cells.

Garima feels fortunate to have already have been involved in the journey of a biotechnology company going from start up to a publicly listed company. She looks forward to being able to reach multiple milestones in her career pathway and become a leader in product development.

Amelia Stranz
Class of 2021
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Laboratory Manager

Amelia earned her bachelor’s degree in neurobiology and psychology from UW-Madison. She currently is the associate research specialist and lab manager for the Liu Lab at UW-Madison, Department of Surgery where she manages the mouse colony, performs surgical procedures, and trains both undergraduate and graduate students who work in the laboratory.

Amelia is interested in becoming part of the global aspects of the biotechnology industry. She expects that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program to be a crucial next step in her scientific career and becoming a leader project development and management.

Meghana Telugu
Class of 2021
Employer:
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Meghana graduated from Vignan’s Deemed to be University with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology. Upon graduation, she worked as a human resources executive for Infosys, a multinational corporation. It was here where she was involved in end-to-end recruitment and working with people.

Meghana expects that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to widen her horizons to become a research scientist in a commercial biotechnological organization.

Vanessa Voris
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Bioanalytical Study Coordinator

Vanessa graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in animal science. She currently is a Study Coordinator II, Level I in the bioanalytical chemistry department at Covance Laboratories where she is responsible for reviewing and compiling data for analytical reports through finalization. She works with a wide variety of team members in effort to coordinate and track the activities required to assure that study protocols are met.

Vanessa feels that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to learn more about how her current role fits into the grander scheme of study coordination as she becomes more effective liaison among the study team, other departments, and the client.

Hanna Weber
Class of 2021
Employer: Covance
Title: Analytical Chemist

Hanna received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Iowa State University of Science and Technology. She currently is an analytical chemist at Covance Laboratories where she performs a variety of analytical extraction techniques for samples.

Hanna believes that M.S. in Biotechnology and the coupling of science with business and law aligns perfectly for her quest to becoming a strong leader in the biotechnology arena.

Malavika Abhineshababu
Class of 2020
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Graduate Student

Malavika graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Biotechnology at Anna University, in Chennai, India. The M.S. in Biotechnology Program fits in with Malavika's career pathway plans that started with two internships through Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Her first internship studied purification of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and immunogen design to develop potential vaccine against HIV-1. The second internship looked at three G:C base pairs in the anticodon stem of the initiator tRNA.

Malavika looks to put her molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics skills to work during her time in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program so that she can become a leader in biotechnology.

Mugdha Bandiwadekar
Class of 2020
Employer: Pramuk HealthCare, Mumbai, India
Title: Technical Sales Executive

Mugdha received her Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology at Dr. B.Y. Patil University, School of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics. Mugdha has had a keen eye on the food industry for some time, and runs a small bakery service. She also pursued an internship opportunity in food testing at MicroChem Siliker Pvt Ltd. It was during this internship, where Mugdha had decided to expand upon her laboratory knowledge and move into the operational side of the industry.

Mugdha is currently a technical sales executive for Pramuk HealthCare in Mumbai, India. The knowledge and experiences from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to become a key contributor to the Biotechnology Industry.

Joan Bunyi
Class of 2020
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Reporting Associate

Joan received her bachelor's degree in biology from UW-Madison. She currently works at Covance Laboratories as a Reporting Associate. As a reporting associate, Joan works with the study direction group and produces reports for toxicology, ocular, and safety pharmacology studies. While a student, she also worked as a lab manager in the UW-Madison Structural Biology Lab and as a lead tutor for students ages 3-16.

Joan's goals include exploring the role of drug development and research within the biotechnology industry. She plans to use the knowledge gained from the program to make contributions to early drug development, becoming an ocular study director and being responsible for directing preclinical research and managing multiple projects.

Cindy Chang
Class of 2020
Employer: NCKU Research and Development Foundation
Title: Senior Manager, Industrial and International Collaboration

Cindy received her bachelor's degree in accountancy from the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and her master's degree in accountancy from the University of Denver in Colorado. Cindy brings with her experiences as a senior manager for NCKU R&D Foundation in Taiwan where she was a leader of industrial collaborations with a number of global pharmaceutical stakeholders. Cindy is currently conducting a large animal study to mimic human chronic heart failure as part of a collaboration between the Cardiovascular Physiology Core Lab at UW-Madison and NCKU R&D Foundation in Taiwan.

Cindy's goal while in Madison is to integrate people, process, and technology to help transform the findings and research to the next levels within the biotechnology industry, including, but not limited to: IP protection, technology transfer, clinical trial initiation, and establishing start-up companies. She feels that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to build upon her foundational scientific knowledge and confidence and ultimately strengthen her non-scientific abilities.

Divya Datla
Class of 2020
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Graduate Student

Divya graduated from GITAM University with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Biotechnology. While at the university, Divya interned at Macquarie University in Australia where she was involved in a testing for antibiotic resistance in flying foxes.

Divya’s goals include utilizing her knowledge and experience in effort to discover novel and viable technologies that will proved beneficial in the field of pharmaceutical biotechnology.

Sarah Datza
Class of 2020
Employer: Eurofins Food Integrity & Innovation
Title: Associate Analytical Chemist III, Food Solutions

Sarah received her biology degree from Edgewood College and completed her capstone work researching the effects of chlorinated solvents on the tyrosine hydroxylase enzyme responsible for producing dopamine and the potential development of Parkinson's disease. She is currently working at Eurofins Laboratories as an Associate Analytical Chemist III on the Fat Soluble Vitamins Team. As part of the team, Sarah uses a number of platforms to extract food samples and analyze the fat soluble content. She has also been part of the First Responder Safety Team at Eurofins, which has provided an opportunity to find out more about all of the different departments within Eurofins.

Sarah plans expand her science knowledge and explore the business and regulatory aspects of the Biotechnology industry while in the M.S. in Biotechnology Program so that she can move up the career ladder and take on a management role within Eurofins.

Taylor Ellingson
Class of 2020
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Research Specialist

Taylor is a recent graduate from UW-Madison with a degree in Psychology and is currently employed as a Research Assistant in the Landick Laboratory. Her current project works with the Small Molecule Screening Facility to identify new Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA polymerase inhibitors. It was her work at Covance Laboratories as a Sample Coordinator that allowed Taylor to understand how a contract research organization works, and where she was also introduced to patent law.

Taylor plans to blend the laboratory, business, and law curriculum within the M.S. in Biotechnology Program so that she can utilize her passion of scientific writing and analysis as she prepares to become a patent attorney.

Karali Fedor
Class of 2020
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Senior Research Analyst

Karali received her degree in Psychology from UW-LaCrosse where, as part of her undergraduate research, she collected and analyzed zooplankton samples to track microorganism growth and quantities. Karali currently works as a Senior Research Analyst in the Early Drug Development Division at Covance Laboratories. Her role within the Quantitative Whole Body Autoradiography sector allows her to not only perform a variety of analyses from a number of different platforms, but also develop skills in writing reports and discussing findings with study directors.

Karali knows that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to explore and hone her knowledge in Early Drug Discovery, specifically in metabolomics and ultimately become a Study Director at Covance.

Kristy Gargulak
Class of 2020
Employer: Medical College of Wisconsin
Title: QA/QC Technician

Kristy graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Molecular Genetics and currently works as a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Technician at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her work focuses on research and development relating to QA/QC of cGMP and GLP lentiviral vector batches.

Kristy believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow her to develop her leadership skills so that she can apply the knowledge honed in science, business, and the law as she grows into a director role within a QA/QC department.

Tyler Gonzales
Class of 2020
Employer: Illumina
Title: Research Associate 2

Tyler received a biology degree and chemistry minor from UW-Eau Claire. He currently works at Illumina as a Research Associate 2 after spending three years at PPD as an Associate Scientist. While at PPD, he was part of a team that led a product through the entire new drug application process. This product (Bevespi Aerosphere) went on to receive FDA approval. Tyler moved on to Illumina where he has been part of the protein manufacturing team, purifying enzymes for over two years.

Tyler knows that he will be able to continue growing his skills through the M.S. in Biotechnology Program so that he can stay on top of the most current discoveries and development. These skills will allow him to become a leader within an industry that continues to be a driving catalyst for applied uses of technology discoveries.

Emily Hogoboom
Class of 2020
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Pathology Study Technician II

Emily graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. She has worked for the past year at Covance Laboratories as a Pathology Study Technician II, where she processes tissue samples for various clinical studies. Prior to joining Covance, she worked as Certified Nursing Assistant at two patient care and rehabilitation nursing centers.

Emily seeks a greater understanding of the increasing overlap between clinical patient care and the field of biotechnology as it relates to human health and therapeutic product development. Her immediate goal is to develop cross-functional knowledge of biotechnology as it serves the healthcare industry, with the potential long term goal of becoming a doctor or physician assistant.

Ethan McLeod
Class of 2020
Employer: FUJIFILM - Cellular Dynamics Incorporated
Title: Research Specialist

Ethan graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in genetics and double minors in computer science and stem cell studies. During his undergraduate coursework, Ethan also worked for Dr. Slukvin, as well as Gene Uenishi's laboratories. It was here where he was able to ask many questions and learn stem cell differentiation techniques. He currently is a Research Specialist for FUJIFILM-Cellular Dynamics, Inc., where he is responsible for all in vivo mouse testing and mouse maintenance.

Ethan's ultimate goal is to start his own company. He believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program and the uniquely tailored biotechnology industry courses of science, business, and the law will be integral to jump starting his career aspirations.

Adrian Mikol
Class of 2020
Employer: Catalent Pharma Solutions
Title: Process & Cleaning Validation Specialist

Adrian received her degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a Biomolecular Sciences Concentration from North Carolina State University. She currently is a QA Validation Specialist at Catalent Pharma Solutions where she works closely with three different teams (process development, manufacturing sciences, and production) all working together to develop a process and cleaning validation program for the site.

Adrian looks forward to exploring the education opportunities within the M.S. in Biotechnology Program so that she can develop her technical skills in the industry; expand her leadership skills; and build upon the business and law aspects so that she can continue to provide unique perspectives needed to be an active contributor and collaborator within the biotechnology industry.

Nandini Nallappan
Class of 2020
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Graduate Student

Nandini graduated from SRM Institute of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Genetic Engineering. Her research projects included working on drug development and screening of KCa3.1 channel blocker under Dr. Yanxia for NMRC. She was also able to work on projects in collaboration with the Singapore Institute of Immunology.

Nandini believes that the M.S. in Biotechnology will allow her to build upon her current knowledge and develop more skills on the business side of the industry. In this way, she will be able to become a competitive leader within the industry.

Shrinidhi Navale
Class of 2020
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Graduate Student

Shrinidhi recently received her Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology degree from Visvesvaray Technology University Belgaum, in India after studying at KLE Technological University (previously B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology). As part of her undergraduate program, Shrinidhi participated in several internships and academic projects. These include working at SDM Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital and the Central Research Institute (CRI) in Kasauli, Himachalpradesh.

Shrinidhi is looking forward to exploring the theoretical and applied nature of the M.S. in Biotechnology Program. Her goal is to expand her knowledge in regulatory affairs and drug discovery so that she can align her knowledge and skills in order to become a productive biotechnology leader.

Austin Oliphant
Class of 2020
Employer: Exact Sciences
Title: Senior Research Associate I

Austin received dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biochemistry and Spanish from the University of Tampa. He currently is working at Exact Sciences as a Senior Research Associate I where he is primarily involved in developing molecular-based assays, detecting targets of interest from samples of liquid biopsy origin and identifying process improvements and efficiencies. As a collaborator, Austin is also involved in training and mentoring junior and incoming scientists on complex technologies.

Austin's goal is to become a critical leader focused on scientific and business strategies within the biotechnology industry. He knows that the M.S. in Biotechnology Program will allow him to explore how to successfully meet and solve the complex scientific, business, and legal challenges that the biotechnology sector faces every day.

Nikhil Pereira
Class of 2020
Employer: Eurofins Scientific
Title: Microbiologist

Nikhil graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor's degree in microbiology. He currently works at Covance as a microbiologist where he sets up samples for clients for performing diagnostics, reporting on the data and codifying pathologenic information. Recently, Nikhil added the role of programming the LIMS system, which has allowed him to learn coding, as well as improve the lab's efficiently.

Nikhil expects to expand his functional knowledge of biotechnology and utilize his education within the M.S. in Biotechnology Program to eventually start his own company. He is looking forward to working with all of his fellow classmates to practice learning what it takes to create and market technologies that add value to human life.

Matthew Piotrowiak
Class of 2020
Employer: Covance Laboratories
Title: Study Technician

Matthew received his bachelor of science degree in biology from Illinois Wesleyan University in Illinois. He currently is a Study Technician in the In-Life Operations area at Covance, where he works with study directors and staff veterinarians in order to meet high standards for animal welfare and ensure study compliance and good laboratory practices.

Matthew intends to use the lessons learned from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program to further explore the drug development process. By gaining knowledge and skills, Matthew looks to move up the Animal Operations career pathway to become a study coordinator or toxicologist, and ultimately more.

Daniel Pirsch
Class of 2020
Employer: Catalent Pharma Solutions
Title: Assistant Scientist

Daniel received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology at the University of Minnesota and has followed that up with two certificates in biotechnology and stem cell technologies. He currently works at Catalent as an Assistant Scientist in Upstream Process Development. Prior to his work at Catalent, Daniel worked in R&D at Platypus Technologies.

Daniel is focused on continuing his contribution to provide new knowledge and technologies to the biotechnology industry. He expects the M.S. in Biotechnology Program to help him blend his knowledge of the skills required in operations and regulations. He also looks forward to expanding his network of peers, faculty, and alumni, and to playing a bigger role in a larger scientific community.

Jacqueline Rodriguez
Class of 2020
Employer: Aldevron
Title: Customer Relations Manager, Protein Services

Jacqueline graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez with a Bachelor's degree in Biology. She began the M.S. in Biotechnology Program as a Quality Assurance Laboratory Technician at Bioriginal.

During prior work at a dairy facility, she was introduced to small protein purification company (later acquired by Bioriginal) that produced specialty products for domestic and international infant formula companies. Interested in the process of biomanufacturing, Jacqueline joined the company as a Quality Assurance Laboratory Technician where she designed and conducted quality control experiments for the infant formula products.

Building on her regulatory and operational experience, Jacqueline pursued employment at Aldevron (Madison, WI site), a company specializing in custom protein characterization, development and manufacturing. She is currently employed as a Customer Relations Manager for Aldevron's Protein Services division.

Jacqueline believes the M.S. in Biotechnology Program has enabled her to identify and understand vital trends within the biotechnology industry, and more importantly, how they impact customer needs.

As a student and working professional, she continues to expand her industry expertise while becoming a key contributor to her employer's commercial success.

Tanner Ruechel
Class of 2020
Employer: Promega Corporation
Title: Production Scientist

Tanner graduated with a degree in Biology with a Molecular and Genetics Emphasis at UW-Platteville. He also received a post-baccalaureate certificate in Biotechnology at Madison College. Currently, Tanner is working at Promega as a Production Scientist II, where he is responsible for the manufacturing and quality control of over 100 quality products.

As a production scientist, Tanner's goals are to strengthen his background in the legal, regulatory, and marketing aspects of launching a product. The M.S. in Biotechnology Program will enhance his communication skills through regular team interaction and dive into innovative ways to improve upon existing processes and product lines.

Adithi Thangaraju
Class of 2020
Employer: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Graduate Student

Adithi is a recent graduate of Shiv Nadar University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology. As an undergraduate, Adithi was a research intern for the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in India, where she was part of a team that studied the structure and functional relationship of the enzyme Mycobacterium tuberculosis FACL13.

Through her experience with the M.S. in Biotechnology Program, she expects to gain further knowledge and experience so that she can continue to blend the laboratory and professional leadership workspaces in the biotechnology industry.