“I Love that Something I Design Can Become a Real Product that Could Be Used to Find New Treatments or New Biomarkers”

In our interview with Michele Veldsman, she shares her journey from cognitive neuroscience to Director of Neuroscience R&D in industry. Initially planning an academic career, Michele became disillusioned with the precarity of short-term contracts and grant funding uncertainty. Through self-reflection exercises, she realized academia is no longer aligned with her values and priorities. Michele highlights the importance of actively evaluating your career goals. She advises gaining commercial experience through internships and collaborations. Though no longer doing her own projects, Michele finds meaning applying her expertise to real-world problems like biomarkers for dementia. She values the teamwork, clear objectives, and faster pace of industry.