Expanding Career Options Lunch Speakers

corporate partners

1) Science policy:
Michelle Garfinkel, EMBO Science Policy Programme, Heidelberg, DE	Michele Garfinkel is the manager of the Science Policy Programme at the European Molecular Biology Organization. Previously she was a policy analyst at the J. Craig Venter Institute, where she worked on societal issues related to the emerging technologies of genomics, particularly synthetic biology. She has also done policy research as staff at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and as a research fellow at Columbia University’s Center for Science, Policy & Outcomes. Michele holds a BA in Genetics from the University of California, a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Washington, and an MA in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from the George Washington University.

2) Science funding:
Corinna Wilken, Austrian Research Promotion Agency, Vienna, AT	Corinna Wilken joined the Austrian Research Promotion Agency in December 2007. As programme leader she is responsible for the development and implementation of an excellence programme for female scientists at the interface between science and industry. Thus she is involved in issues related to gender mainstreaming, innovation, business, universities and policies. Corinna completed her PhD in Biochemistry at the Institute for Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna in 2006. Her doctoral research focused on structural analysis of proteases involved into periplasmic stress response.

3) Science communication:
Carmen Schmid, dialog<>gentechnik, Vienna, AT	Carmen Schmid is project manager at dialog<>gentechnik, a non-profit organization for life science communication to the public, since 2007. She has contributed to several EC-funded projects, e.g. a DNA travelling exhibition and science theatre for children and adults, or the FP7 funded Vienna Biocenter Researchers’ Night in 2009, and has been responsible for the organization of several science communication events. Her personal focus lies on projects at the interface of sciences and arts. She holds a PhD in Genetics from the University of Salzburg, AT.

4) Science education:
Maria Halaschek-Wiener, Vienna Open Lab, dialog<>gentechnik, Vienna, AT	Maria Halaschek-Wiener joined the non-profit organization dialog<>gentechnik in 2007. Currently she is the project manager of the Vienna Open Lab, a hands-on laboratory that offers access to experiments in the life sciences to visitors of all ages, from children and teens to adults. Maria is responsible for the management of the Lab, including finance, outreach activities, course development and communication. She studied Food and Biotechnology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna.

5) Non-governmental organizations:
Anne-Laure Page, Epicentre, FR	Anne-Laure Page completed a PhD in Molecular Microbiology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, she then worked at the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, where she participated in a multi-centric vaccine trial in five Asian countries. Following this field experience, she undertook a post-doctoral fellowship in virology at UCSF, San Francisco. She then joined Epicentre, an epidemiology and research organization linked to Doctors without Borders (MSF). Her current position there involves organizing field studies on infectious diseases and their impact in developing countries, with a special focus on the development and evaluation of simple diagnostic tools for field use.

6) Industry 1:
Markus Mandler, Affiris AG, Vienna, AT	Markus Mandler works as a scientist in industry at AFFiRiS AG, a Vienna-based biotechnology company, where he currently heads the Neurodegeneration department. He is responsible for the preclinical development and evaluation of immunotherapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. His main focus is currently the development of new vaccination strategies to treat Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, the two most common forms of neurodegenerative disorders in humans. Markus did his PhD-Thesis at Boehringer Ingelheim´s Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna and received his PhD from the University of Vienna in 2003.

7) Industry 2:
Joachim Seipelt, AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology AG, Vienna, AT	Joachim Seipelt is an expert in applied and basic research in virology. He studied Biochemistry at the University of Vienna and gained industrial experience in research at Boehringer Ingelheim Vienna. After his PhD he moved back to the Medical University Vienna as a post-doc and started his own research group. He lectures at the Medical University as an assistant professor. In 2002 he co-founded the Vienna-based company AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology AG. The company develops vaccines against influenza and develops novel treatment options for infectious diseases and cancer. The lead product deltaFLU – a novel intranasal influenza vaccine - is currently in clinical trials phase II. Joachim is Vice President of AVIR and is responsible for third -party funding and business development.

8) Intellectual property:
Daniel Alge, Sonn & Partner Patent Attorneys, Vienna, AT	Daniel Alge is a partner in Sonn & Partner, an Intellectual Property Law Firm based in Vienna. He is a biochemist by training, and specialized in molecular biology and biotechnology during his diploma and doctorate work. After research work at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, he started to work in intellectual property relating to pharma and biotech, and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 1995. He also lectures on intellectual property at a number of universities in Austria.

9) Consulting:
Bettina Buschhorn, Boston Consulting Group, Vienna, AT	Bettina Buschhorn studied Technical Biology at the University of Stuttgart, DE and at Queen’s University in Kingston, CA. She obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Vienna, after conducting her thesis work at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna. After a short post-doc at the IMP she joined the Vienna Office of the Boston Consulting Group in 2009. Since then, Bettina has done consulting work focusing on strategic and operational topics in several industries, including health care, chemicals, industrial goods and financial services.