“Every new professional I talk to says that their communication and interpersonal skills are what really turn out to be most valuable and set them apart, no matter what they do after grad school.”
As Instructor and Biotech Liaison, Sean builds relationships between the Department of Biological Engineering and the biotech community, and works with BE students to hone their communication skills. His role involves promoting the unique abilities of BE students to the world, and at the same time, sharing with students the knowledge and practices that will help them succeed in their careers at workplaces of all scales, whether in biotech, pharma, non-profit, or other sectors. Sean’s work has many intersections with graduate professional development. For example, he is trained in a career exploration methodology called Design Your Life (DYL), which was pioneered by design faculty at Stanford University.
Sean’s intriguing background includes many MIT roots- he completed his PhD thesis and a postdoc in Eric Alm’s lab. Before returning to MIT in his current role, he worked on applied microbial challenges in two contexts: at the Cellars at Jasper Hill, an award-winning Vermont cheesemaker, and at Sample6, a startup using synthetic biology to solve food safety challenges.
