A career in research is not just within academia. Speakers who have PhDs from disciplines across the physical and life sciences and from different industry contexts share how they continued their research beyond academia.
This panel session features speakers who have taken their research expertise and curiosity into industry.
Dr Vanessa Restrepo Schild, Scientific Support Team Leader and Lab Program Manager at Bio-Techne: Vanessa Restrepo Schild has a background in bioengineering (undergraduate Biology degree, with a focus on biotech research, particularly bioreactor cultures and molecular biology). She earned her DPhil in Chemical Biology and has since focused on developing new technologies at the intersection of biology and engineering. Currently working in Biotech, Vanessa is passionate about translating scientific discoveries into real-world applications..
Dr Sejeong Lee, Senior Scientist at Apoha: I have always been interested in how our knowledge in life sciences can contribute to early-phase drug development and disease diagnosis. Hence, I did a BSc and a MSc in Chemistry at KAIST, a DPhil in Biomolecules at University of Goettingen/Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, and then postdoctoral research activities at University of Oxford and at King’s College London. During my postdoc years at University of Oxford, I adapted a novel technique ‘single molecule detection for membrane translocation’ to study the cellular translocation process of bacterial toxins between the department of Biochemistry and Chemistry. At King’s College London, I continued to explorer the cellular internalization process of fungal toxins using various biophysical assays, including single molecule analysis. Based on my experience and knowledge, I am currently working at the start-up company ‘Apoha’, which develops the Liquid Brain technology. Using this platform, I’ve been investigating the developability features of clinical drug candidates when interacting with sensing surface. The high-dimensional natural data feeds into AI-driven research, ultimately enabling an early-phase drug screening.
Dr Nirmal Sampathkumar, Senior Scientist at Samsara Therapeutics
Abdalrhaman Koko, Higher Scientist, National Physics Laboratory: Abdalrhaman (Abdo) Mohamed Koko is a Higher scientist working on the nano, micro and meso scale measurement and characterisation of material within the advanced engineering materials group, National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Abdo joined NPL in 2022 after completing his DPhil at the Department of Materials, University of Oxford, on the topic of micro-stress concentrators. Before his DPhil, he graduated with distinction from the University of Manchester with an MSc in corrosion engineering. Since his graduation, Abdo won the International Science Partnership grants (2024) and the Royal Society Industrial Fellowship (2025). Abdo serves on the Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, and the BSI committees for Toughness testing (ISE/101/4) and Fatigue testing (ISE/101/6). Beyond his academic pursuits, Abdo is a member of the UK Young Academy. He is also an outreach volunteer, student mentor, and an avid Wikipedia editor. Abdo’s main research interests focus on the microstructural characterisation and micromechanics of materials with an emphasis on developing new testing capabilities and new analysis routes to understanding deformation mechanisms and the complex microstructural effect on the materials’ net behaviour at room and high temperatures.
Stefanie Zekoll R&D Manager NOVO Energy: Stefanie Zekoll is an R&D Manager at NOVO Energy, a battery manufacturing company owned by Volvo Cars and based in Gothenburg, Sweden. She leads an R&D engineering team developing next-generation battery cells to power the future of purely electric Volvo cars. Stefanie earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Bath in 2014 and a DPhil in Materials Science from the University of Oxford in 2018. Driven by an early passion for green technologies and a desire to contribute to a more sustainable planet, her research focused on battery materials research throughout most of her academic journey. While exploring an academic career through a PhD and postdoc, internships at chemical companies in Belgium and the Netherlands also gave her insight into R&D in industry. These experiences helped her decide to transition from academia, leading her to join Northvolt—Europe’s first battery manufacturing start-up—in Sweden in 2020 as an engineer in the quality department. She quickly discovered a passion for leadership and took over as head of the battery cell analysis laboratory at the companies R&D site, leading a team of 30–40 chemists, engineers, and technicians. Stefanie continues to enjoy leading technical teams in her current role and looks forward to sharing insights and guidance from her career transition to those considering a similar path.
