This summer, BioCentriq ran its first internship program and recruited five talented students to work for ten weeks, allowing them to learn about the biotech industry, conduct research, and make lasting change within the company. The students each worked with a mentor who guided them throughout the program, offering help with their daily tasks and overarching projects, as well as providing insight into what it’s like working in this rapidly-growing industry.
Each intern had the opportunity to select an eight, nine, or ten-week duration for this paid program, and notably, all five interns opted to work with BioCentriq for ten full works. The interns came from Columbia University, Boston College, Ramapo College, Northeastern University, and New York University, where they are studying or have completed their studies in biomedical engineering, biomolecular science, cellular and molecular biology, bioinformatics, and biochemistry.
“As a contract development and manufacturing organization, the diversity of our client’s projects makes the internship program attractive to students looking to gain hands-on, wide-spread experience. We’re proud to offer this unique opportunity to a select group of students that demonstrate the rising talent in the industry,” said Gina Choi, Head of Human Resources at BioCentriq.
A large component of the program was dedicated to an extended project specific to each student’s skillset and interests. Ezra Idil of Ramapo College, who worked with the BioCentriq quality team, created a live, comprehensive document that now serves as a catalogue for the company’s files for client projects and research. This method of organization allows team members to quickly identify file locations while keeping the documents secure.
Aaron Yam of Northeastern University and Aanya Subhedar of NYU both worked with the research and development team in the process development lab at BioCentriq’s Deer Park location in South Brunswick, New Jersey. Together, they tuned sensors in the bioreactors with the goal of controlling pH levels to account for cell growth, temperature conditions, and more, thereby obtaining more accurate readings from the equipment. The BioCentriq team is now putting these enhancements to use and even building upon them.
Taylor Towson of Boston College and Yvette Zhu of Columbia University—who both worked with the commercialization team—conducted research that is serving the BioCentriq business development and marketing teams. Taylor assisted with preparing for conferences, generating leads, and creating content for an NK cell therapy campaign by conducting research that is still being used by the BioCentriq team. Similarly, Yvette conducted extensive research about the CDMO competitive landscape, which is being used to help inform business development and marketing decisions.
“I’ve learned so much about the science and business behind cell and gene therapy by working with the commercialization and business development teams, and it was an amazing experience to be introduced to the promising work and growing opportunities in the biotech industry. I’m grateful to have had Chaturanga De Silva, Ph.D., the Senior Director of Business Development here at BioCentriq, as my mentor throughout this program,” said Taylor.
If you are interested in the next internship program session, be sure to subscribe to BioCentriq’s newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn to hear as soon as the next submission period opens for applications. If you have any questions about the program, please email us at hr@biocentriq.com.