From PhD to Senior Director of Drug Discovery

As a Senior Director of Oncology Industrialized Drug Discovery at Recursion in Utah, Aimee leads teams working at the intersection of biology, chemistry, data science, and AI-driven therapeutics.

In this role, she:

• Manages cross-functional teams composed of chemists, data scientists, and biologists

• Oversees drug discovery research driven by AI-facilitated hypotheses

• Helps guide oncology programs from early discovery toward clinical application

• Collaborates across scientific disciplines to accelerate research and decision-making

Best parts of the job:

• Aimee loves working with smart people in a fast-paced environment where the work stays focused on real clinical impact.

Aimee found her current role through a recruiter.

Key steps in her career journey:

• PhD ➡️ postdoc ➡️ consultant ➡️ industry job 1 ➡️ current job

For Aimee, the decision to step away from academia was largely shaped by personal priorities and family considerations.

She recognized that pursuing a traditional professorship would require remaining in a postdoctoral role long enough to secure the kinds of high-impact publications expected for competitive PI positions.

Ultimately, she realized that path no longer aligned with the life she wanted to build.

Her story is an important reminder that career decisions are not made in isolation from the rest of life. For many scientists, choosing industry is not “settling” or leaving something behind. It is choosing a path that better aligns with their priorities, values, and long-term goals.

1. Use your network to help land interviews.

   Referrals and warm introductions can dramatically increase visibility during the hiring process and help open doors that cold applications sometimes cannot.

2. When reaching out to people for informational interviews or conversations, show up prepared.

   Learn about their company, their role, their scientific focus, and the broader industry space they work in beforehand. Being informed makes conversations more meaningful and demonstrates professionalism and curiosity.

3. Trust your training.

   Aimee emphasizes that PhD training provides far more than technical expertise. The ability to ask thoughtful questions, solve ambiguous problems, learn independently, and know when to seek help are all highly valuable skills in industry settings.

Aimee’s journey highlights how PhDs can successfully transition into leadership roles that combine science, strategy, and real-world impact.

The scientific mindset developed during graduate training remains incredibly valuable outside academia, especially in collaborative environments where curiosity, adaptability, and problem-solving drive innovation forward.

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