Oxford Life Science Association (OLSA) Annual Symposium—Bio Careers Day 2025 will be held on Wednesday, 26th March 2025, at Richard Doll Lecture Theatre & Atrium, Oxford.

This year’s Careers Day focuses on empowering students, researchers, and professionals in the life sciences with insights into diverse career paths. The event features two main sessions: Academic Careers and Industry & Beyond, covering career trajectories in research, biotech, consulting, and more. In addition to inspiring talks and panel discussions from distinguished professors, industry leaders, and accomplished alumni, the event offers valuable networking opportunities. OLSA cordially invites you to join us for an engaging day of knowledge-sharing and meaningful connections to support your career journey.

We warmly welcome anyone interested in life sciences to join our symposium — it is completely free, with refreshments and lunch provided!

Wednesday 26th March 2025, 09:00–16:30 BST

Richard Doll Lecture Theatre & Atrium

Old Road Campus

Oxford OX3 7LF

Download Programme Booklet

Agenda

9:00–9:30
Reception & Refreshments
9:30–9:40
Welcome Speech
9:30–9:40
Greetings from Local Organiser
9:40–12:30
Session I: Scientific Careers in and Beyond Academia
Chair: Ms Jiayi Fu
9:40–10:00
Understanding of Cellular Physiology: the Beginning of Innovative Drug Discovery
10:00–10:20
Open the Small Door to the Wider World
10:20–10:40
From Academia to Big Pharma: My Adventure So Far
10:40–11:10
Coffee Break with Small Talks
11:10–11:30
Returning to Oxford: My Career Journey
11:30–11:50
Oxford Needs More Entrepreneurs
11:50–11:55
Quality Multi-Omics Service to Empower Your Research
HaploX (Sponsor Talk)
11:55–12:00
MedChemExpress — Advancing Drug Discovery
MedChemExpress (Sponsor Talk)
12:00–12:30
Career Panel Discussion With Morning Session Speakers
Chair: Dr Miaoqing Yang
Panellist: Prof Ming Lei, Dr Kenji Hashimoto, Dr David Clyne, Dr Xiao Qin, Dr Jeff Liu, and Dr Gaurav Gupta
12:30–13:30
Lunch Break
13:30–16:30
Session II: Scientific Careers in and Beyond Academia
Chair: Ms Xueli Ban
13:30–13:50
Life Sciences Consulting: Delivering Insights for Global Pharma
13:50–14:10
Changing Lanes: from Industry/Biotech to Academia
14:10–14:30
Academia to Industry — Reflections Over Nearly 3 Decades
14:30–15:00
Coffee Break with Small Talks
15:00–15:20
Not Just a Mere 9 to 5
15:20–15:40
From Research to an Editor at Nature Communications
15:40–16:00
Empowering the Future: Early Stage Investments and Personal Growth for Mindfulness Leadership
16:00–16:30
Career Panel Discussion With Afternoon Session Speakers
Chair: Dr Luyao Wang
Panellist: Dr Jack Gordon, Dr Aadil El-Turabi, Ms Catherine Xu, Dr Kusal Lokuge, Dr Faseeha Ayaz, and Dr Paul Wan

Invited Speakers

Prof Ming Lei
Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology
Dr Kenji Hashimoto
Founder of Bi-Path Bio; Clinical Development Consultant in Oncology; Ex-CMO
Dr Paul Wan
Vice President of Business Development and Early Discovery (Europe)
Dr Gaurav Gupta
Head of Research and Development at Granza Bio
Dr Aadil El-Turabi
Senior Postdoctoral Researcher (Vaccinologist)
Dr David Clynes
Medical Advisor (Haematology-Oncology) at AbbVie and Honorary Group Leader
Dr Qin Xiao
Junior Group Leader
Dr Kusal Lokuge
Senior Science Policy & Research Analyst at NICE
Dr Jack Gordon
Business Analyst at Lifescience Dynamics
Dr Faseeha Ayaz
Nature Communications Editor
Ms Catherine Xu
Investment Manager at Atma Capital
Dr Jeff Liu
CEO and Co-founder of Ramanomics

Local Organising Committee

Dr Ying-Jie Wang
Chairman of OLSA
Dr Luyao Wang
President of OLSA; Postdoc Researcher
Xueli Ban
Vice President of OLSA; DPhil Student
Dr Yirui Jiang
Member of OLSA; Postdoc Researcher
Dr Miaoqing Yang
Member of OLSA; Postdoctoral Researcher
Dou Hong
Member of OLSA; DPhil Student
Qingjia Zeng
Member of OLSA; DPhil Student
Jiayi Fu
Member of OLSA; DPhil Student
Yongyi Guo
Former Vice President of OLSA; DPhil Student
Siwei Deng
Former President of OLSA; DPhil Student
Sponsors