Now well into our 6th week working from home for many Californians, BCLA hosted a virtual networking happy hour to provide an opportunity to make new connections in this socially distanced time. Over 60 attendees joined 4 amazing panelists over Zoom on May 30th to share how their work and life has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The panelists were Llewellyn Cox, general partner at MarsBio and BCLA advisory board member, Kristen Slawinski, CEO of Biofluent Communications, Pavel Ryzhv, recent graduate and author of Biofilms News, and Nisha Sherma, business development manager for Neta Scientific.

The event began with Adhi Sikand, president of BCLA asking the panelists how their life, work and businesses have changed and how they are staying motivated and healthy during this time. All panelist agreed that while these are challenging times which require flexibility and adaptation, it is also a time for new opportunities. Llewellyn Cox shared how MarsBio, a biotech venture firm, has...

On April 17th, 2020, BCLA hosted another successful webinar on the topic “Adapting your job search to the COVID-19 pandemic”. We were thrilled to bring Lauren Celano, Founder and CEO of Propel Careers, to support our bioscience community. Lauren suggested that job seekers adapt their job search to the continuously evolving job market. With more than 30% of jobs filled through LinkedIn, Lauren focused on this platform.

First and foremost, crafting an impressionable online presence and showcasing your experience, skills, and interests are the key! According to Lauren, this empowers the recruiter to make a confident decision about you as a prospective hire. She highlighted that you can make your profile stand out by effectively conveying your passion.  LinkedIn is also helpful for conducting effective informational interviews. Lauren recommended very helpful tips for virtual interviews such as informing your household to avoid interruption. Finally, Lauren recommended using this time to ge...

On Tuesday April 20th, BCLA hosted its first webinar “Coronavirus by the numbers”, addressing the very topic that has us working from home and connecting via online platforms. The webinar was presented by Dr. Robert Phillips from Caltech. At the end of March 2020, Dr. Phillips and collaborators published a paper entitled “SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) by the numbers” in the journal eLife, highlighting diverse aspects of the virus and its effects on humans. His webinar expanded on this topic by providing a quantitative outlook on viruses, their effect on humans and vice versa.

Previously a physicist, Dr. Phillips became interested in biological questions two decades ago, especially focusing on how quantitative approaches can answer biological questions. He takes a similar approach when thinking about the current COVID-19 pandemic, and how numbers and data about the virus and humans shape our understanding of public health measures.

One example is data explaining why it is recommended that we stay...

On Friday, February 28, BCLA hosted its biggest ever  Bioscience Talent Connection with over 200 attendees at the Michelson Center at the University of Southern California. Attendees included bioscience trainees from various universities and biotech professionals looking to grow their careers and find new opportunities, as well as company representatives looking to meet new talent.

The morning session kicked off with remarks by BCLA President, Adhi Sikand, welcoming attendees and providing an overview of the day. This session featured two inspiring workshops provided by Dr. Elvira Teller on “Driving your own career success” and by Dr. Jun Huang titled “The missing piece – look from within”.

Dr. Vera Teller is a coach, lecturer and best-selling author with experience in both the business and academic sector. She opened her talk with a story how of her young daughter finishing college with an engineering degree, but no future career goals, inspired her to help others self-reflect on their...

To kick off the new year, the BCLA team hosted its first event in collaboration with the LA Chapter of 3D Women in Printing. Our first ever happy hour provided an informal space to network in an informal setting. The event was a great success hosting over 50 attendees for a casual evening of networking, drinks, and appetizers at Broxton Brewery in Westwood. It was great to see new and familiar faces come together to form new connections, helping LA’s biotech scene grow and prosper!

Attendees included a mix of professionals from the 3D printing space who discussed the rapid growth in this market, financial services professionals with an interest in health care and tech, medical designers, consultants, and academics from UCLA and USC, among many others. With minimal structure to this happy hour, attendees had the opportunity to mingle and establish new connections and foster existing relationships. Brief remarks were provided by BCLA President, Adhi Sikand, and organizers of the LA Chapte...