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Dr. Carolina Amador

2017-2018 BCLA President

Biotech Connection Los Angeles was founded in 2014 by Dr. Katrina Choe and Dr. Stefanie Volland. Today, a decade later, it has grown into an impactful organization of 20-30 graduate students and postdocs that continues to promote and foster the growth of Los Angeles as a biotech hub. BCLA now includes a network of over 8,000 students and professionals, a Consulting team, and produces the podcast Inside Biotech. To celebrate a decade of educating, connecting, and inspiring, we are checking in with previous Presidents of BCLA to ask them about their time in leadership and their perspective on BCLA’s impact in Los Angeles.

 

This week, we interviewed Dr. Carolina Amador, BCLA President from 2017 – 2018. Carolina earned their PhD in Chemistry from the University of Southern California, and was involved with BCLA throughout her doctoral work. Today, she works as the Associate Director of Corporate Intelligence (Rare Diseases) at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. Outside of her Director role, Carolina also serves as a member of BCLA’s advisory board to provide advice and insight to the current BCLA’s team’s work.


When asked what inspired her to become involved with BCLA she shared a sentiment that many current STEM graduate students and early professionals echo. Carolina joined BCLA as a first year PhD student after searching for information about a career she could have away from work in a wet lab. She stated “During my PhD I realized that despite loving science, I did not want to have a career as a bench chemist.” However, when she consulted professors, other researchers, and even the USC Career Center, for advice regarding alternative careers to bench science post-PhD, they couldn’t provide answers. Eventually, Carolina’s research paid off when she came upon a new organization based in Los Angeles striving to provide students with not only the answers to the exact questions she had been asking, but access to resources and networks to support the post-academia transition. 


Very soon after learning about BCLA, Carolina was a part of the team as an Associate. When asked about her favorite BCLA event, she expressed that she loved all the BCLA events she had the opportunity to help organize. However, the “all-time favorite” event for Carolina was the 2018 Lunch Seminar with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman. Before working as OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman was leading the Y Combinator. The seminar, titled “Where Bio and Start-Ups Meet!” featured an engaged and inquisitive audience despite less-than ideal weather. Carolina recalled “The room was packed, the AC wasn’t working so we were all sweating…but we kept on going. Sam had a fantastic attitude and the audience was constantly learning and asking questions.”


Carolina shares that being a part of the internal BCLA team, and ultimately President of the organization, not only imparted these memories and enhanced her ability to grow her network in the Los Angeles biotech scene while a graduate student; it also provided rich friendships while doing so. She shared that despite it being six years after the completion of her PhD, she enjoys serving as an Advisory Board member because “BCLA is a one of a kind organization that serves the student community and nurtures local talent.”


Carolina conveys an immense amount of pride for BCLA and what the organization provides to Los Angeles. The collaborative nature of BCLA allows multi-campus inclusivity to foster communication and innovation. Supporting the Los Angeles biotech scene is equal to supporting the incredible talent that will continue the growth and evolution of scientific innovation. After 10 years of creating a community of opportunity and growth, BCLA is excited to continue fueling the growth of Los Angeles as a biotech hub.  

Written by Gabriella Rubert

Dr. Carolina Amador
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