Her Story
About Alexandra
Alexandra Chivu serves as a venture creator at Flagship Pioneering in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has spent the past three years or more in venture creation, beginning with a fellowship and transitioning to a full-time role. In this capacity, she contributes to the internal development of companies focused on drug discovery and development. Alexandra holds a PhD in molecular biology and genetics from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and a bachelor's degree from Jacobs University in Germany. Her path was shaped by a desire to move from basic scientific research toward more translational work that impacts patients directly. She values building strong teams, motivating people with diverse backgrounds, and fostering trustworthy relationships, advice she received from her former PhD advisor to enable teams fully and then step back without micromanaging. Alexandra encourages young women entering the field to apply for roles even when qualifications may not appear perfect on paper, underscoring the importance of amplifying women's voices in leadership.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alexandra
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the best pieces of advice I received is to invest deeply in the people around me, understand what they need to thrive, support and trust them to do their best work. Great science doesn't happen in silos; it happens when people feel supported, heard, and empowered to collaborate across different perspectives and goals. My role is less about having all the answers and more about creating the conditions for a team to find them together.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Certainly don't wait until you feel like the perfect candidate for a role; apply anyway. The field is making progress, but gaps still persist, especially in senior leadership, and that makes it all the more important for women to take up space, bring their perspectives, and push for a seat at the table.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
New technologies are creating exciting opportunities in drug discovery, but significant gaps persist, particularly in women's health. Historically, women have been underrepresented in clinical trials and research, which means many diseases that disproportionately affect women are understudied or misdiagnosed. Closing that gap requires more than better drugs. It requires rethinking how we define, diagnose, study, and fund disease.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Building trust, communicating openly, and building teams where others feel motivated and valued. These matter to me as much outside of work as they do in it.
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