fall 2025: expanding horizon
Expanding Horizons: Navigating Diverse Careeers in Science and Engineering Today
December 7, 2025
This retreat’s theme, “Expanding Horizons,” reflected both the possibility and uncertainty that many of us feel when we think about our futures post the PhD or Masters. Careers in STEM now span academia, industry R&D, venture capital, entrepreneurship, policy, consulting, and many more, often in hybrid and nonlinear ways. Our conference shared tools, stories, and networks to help navigate those diverse trajectories—whether participants were just beginning to explore options or actively planning a next step. Over the next few hours, attendees actively engaged, asked questions, and shared perspectives.
Our keynote speaker was Dr. Amanda Chen. Amanda is a Vice President at Vertex Ventures HC, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm, where she invests in biotech and medtech companies. Before entering venture capital, Amanda was a scientist and manager at Satellite Biosciences, where she helped lead product development for the company’s lead cell-therapy program and contributed to growing an academic spinout from her thesis lab into a platform company backed by more than $110 million in venture capital. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Engineering at MIT under Professors Sangeeta Bhatia and Bob Langer, holds an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, and a B.S. from the University of Rochester. By sharing her journey—from academic research to early-stage biotech, and now to investing in the next generation of healthcare innovations—Amanda spoke about the many ways a scientific background can shape the future of medicine and technology in today’s landscape.
In the next session, a panel of three incredible women shared their journeys and experiences transitioning from academia to innovation, entrepreneurship, and IP strategy. One panelist was Dr. Monette Cotreau, the Founder and President of MMC BIOPARTNERS, a boutique consulting company focused on strategic drug development. The second was Dr. Amogha Tadimety, the co-founder and CEO of Nanopath, a Series-A-stage molecular diagnostics company with 20 full-time employees headquartered at the Engine. The third was Dr. Jordan Fredriksen Isaacs, a Registered Patent Agent who leverages her cross-disciplinary expertise to prosecute patents and advise clients in the life sciences industry. We spent an hour exploring their transitions out of academic research, how they found their way to their current careers, the challenges they faced, and the realities of being women building careers in demanding (and male-dominated) spaces.
We then had insightful workshops led by the BU Communications Lab on “The Art of Scientific Storytelling” and MIT CAPD on “How to Make a Resume Out of Your CV.” The day finally wrapped up with a speed networking session. This conference was a success — and we hope to see you at the next one!
