From Biology to Boardroom: Building a Career in Life Sciences and Biotech
Meet Courtney, a life sciences operator who has spent seven years turning scientific complexity into organizational clarity. Starting as an Associate Project Manager fresh out of Notre Dame, she rose to Head of PMO at Kymanox, a consulting firm specializing in drug product, medical device, and combination product development. Along the way she earned her PMP certification, led a team of 16, managed programs worth hundreds of millions in regulatory and manufacturing stakes, and built PMO systems from the ground up. In this spotlight, she reflects on her ESTEEM experience, the real shape of a career in life sciences, and what current students should be doing right now to break in.
-Background & ESTEEM Experience-
ESTEEM: You had a neuroscience degree and could have gone straight into research or a clinical track. What made you bet on the business side and pursue ESTEEM instead?
Courtney: It was all about learning what didn’t fulfill me. When I chose my major, I was planning to follow a clinical track and apply to Physician Assistant school after graduation. I spent two summers interning at a P.A. school and its hospital system where I got to participate in clinical efficacy research analysis and was able to shadow PAs and MDs in different areas of the hospital and its outpatient clinics. I realized that while I was deeply motivated by improving patient outcomes, I was more energized by problem‑solving, data synthesis, and systems‑level thinking than by direct clinical practice. What ultimately pulled me toward ESTEEM was the opportunity to stay close to science and innovation while learning how organizations actually bring ideas to life through strategy, operations, and execution. ESTEEM gave me a structured way to translate my technical background into business impact, and the capstone experience was especially critical in helping me bridge that gap and confidently enter industry.
ESTEEM: What part of ESTEEM had the biggest influence on how you work today?
Courtney: The strongest and most enduring impact came from the emphasis on communication and structured thinking through all the formal presentations, technical writing, stakeholder interviews, and framing complex ideas for different audiences. Those skills are foundational in life sciences, especially in regulated environments where clarity, precision, and influence matter.
Equally important was the early industry exposure through my capstone. Working with Feinstein Institute, a bioelectronic research organization, gave me a practical primer on medical device FDA regulations, development lifecycles, and commercialization risk. That context significantly shortened my learning curve when I entered professional services and allowed me to contribute meaningfully much earlier than many entry‑level hires.
-Career Path and Life Sciences Landscape-
ESTEEM: You joined Kymanox straight out of ESTEEM and have been there for nearly seven years. Walk us through how your role evolved.
Courtney: I joined Kymanox in 2019 when the company had roughly 60 employees, and over the next several years experienced rapid growth driven by private equity investment and multiple acquisitions. While I’ve technically had one employer, the scale, complexity, and expectations of my role changed dramatically over time.
That environment created opportunities to grow quickly by giving me the chance to support diverse clients across drug, device, and combination product programs; building internal project, resource, and accounting management systems that better met our evolving business needs; and developing leadership skills alongside senior stakeholders. Entering the workforce during a period of growth taught me how to adapt, build credibility early, and take ownership beyond my job description.
ESTEEM: Life sciences consulting is a specific world. What do students need to understand about it before they pursue it?
Courtney: Professional services are fast-paced, demanding, and incredibly challenging. You are exposed to a wide range of programs, regulatory challenges, and business models very quickly, effectively gaining new job experience with every project you support. While this is a great environment for rapid growth, it comes with ambiguity and a lot of personal responsibility for your outcomes. Regulated industries rarely offer black-and-white answers, and success requires gaining comfort with the uncertainty, developing a working model and understanding of how therapies are navigating the changing regulatory landscape by leveraging the knowledge of those around you, developing strong judgement, and embodying a spirit of lifelong learning.
The individuals who advance fastest are those who proactively build expertise, raise their hand for the complex problems, and identify opportunities to improve how work gets done. Consulting rewards effort and initiative: focus on taking accountability and building strong relationships with your clients and coworkers, because this industry is really much smaller than it feels!
ESTEEM: You now lead a team of 16 and sit on the functional leadership team. What do you wish someone had told you earlier about career growth in this industry?
Courtney: Your first role matters more than it feels like at the time, and it’s normal to question your choices early on. What sustains you through uncertainty is understanding why your work matters and how you create value. Be intentional about the manager you work for: they will either advocate for you in rooms you’re not in or they won’t, and this will make a huge difference in the opportunities you are given early on. Finally, relationships and reputation compound. Investing in mentors and senior colleagues pays dividends over time, and your professional credibility will ultimately open more doors than any single job title.
-Breaking Into Life Sciences Today-
ESTEEM: For a student targeting life sciences or biotech, what does the landscape look like today, and where should they focus?
Courtney: Life sciences remains a resilient industry because the underlying need doesn’t disappear: we are all working to improve and extend the quality of life. That said, the hiring environment has become more selective, particularly at the entry level. Many biotech companies are operating leaner due to cost-savings pressures, with large pharma heavily invested in R&D and commercial efficiency and automation.
The two major shifts facing the market in life sciences are AI and increased regulatory scrutiny and burden. As is true for most industries, AI and digital tools are being integrated across life science R&D, regulatory documentation, and manufacturing in order to augment productivity and leading to higher expectations from life science leadership on throughput and speed of delivery. Second, regulations and regulatory opinions in this industry change often. Most recently, we are starting to see more international alignment of standards which could lead to more efficient international programs. However, this adds extra regulatory burden for each market entered as some previously lower burden markets are now imposing more submission requirements, leading to higher development and regulatory costs for drug and device developers.
ESTEEM: What are entry-level roles at biotech/life sciences companies that are ideal for students coming out of ESTEEM?
Courtney: Strong entry‑level pathways include roles in human factors engineering, regulatory affairs support, clinical operations, quality systems, CMC, and structured rotational programs at larger pharma and medical device companies. To start, focus on the operating companies that are developing or producing a therapy since this is where you will have a large team around you and gain key exposure early. Titles such as associate engineer, associate scientist, project analyst, or regulatory associate are excellent launching points.
At this level, employers are looking less for perfect technical mastery and more for demonstrated curiosity, purpose‑driven interest in the field, and the ability to learn quickly. I also strongly encourage students to treat AI as a learning accelerator. When used responsibly, it can dramatically shorten ramp‑up time when paired with on‑the‑job training and a strong professional network.
-Advice For Students and Future Innovators-
ESTEEM: What would you tell a student who has a life sciences background and wants to break into the business side, but is not sure how?
Courtney: Leverage your network aggressively and continuously educate yourself. There is an enormous amount of accessible information about how life sciences companies operate, you just need to use it. It only takes one opportunity to get a foothold on the business side, and preparation is often what differentiates candidates. Approach interviews with a foundational understanding of the company’s strategy, development stage, and regulatory environment, and be ready to articulate the role you want to play in that ecosystem.
ESTEEM: Any final advice specifically for ESTEEM students considering life sciences?
Courtney: Life sciences rewards patience, rigor, and long‑term thinking. If you’re motivated by impact, comfortable with complexity, and willing to continuously learn, it can be an incredibly fulfilling career. Focus less on finding the “perfect” first job and more on finding an environment where you can build durable skills, earn trust, and grow.