Muskan Sheth

I attribute much of my drive and resilience to losing my mother to cancer when I was 12. That experience shaped not only my perspective on life, but also my purpose. Since then, I've been motivated by two things: to make her proud and to work toward a future where fewer families have to go through what I experienced.

That's ultimately what led me into this field. It gave me a sense of direction early on, and it continues to be the foundation of how I approach my work and long-term goals in healthcare and science.

The best career advice I've received is to never burn bridges, even in difficult or disappointing moments, and to stay anchored in my 'why.' Careers are rarely linear, and the way you handle transitions and challenges often matters as much as the outcomes themselves.

I've also been encouraged to treat my original motivation as a North Star - not just as inspiration, but as a compass that helps me navigate decisions when things feel ambiguous or overwhelming. That combination of perspective and discipline has helped me stay both grounded and intentional over time.

My advice would be to not get overwhelmed or lose confidence early on. Biotech, in particular, has a steep learning curve and many moving parts, so it can feel complex and fast-paced at the beginning.

What I've learned is that it's a long-term field, you don't need to have everything figured out right away. Progress tends to compound over time if you stay consistent and inquisitive. So I would encourage them to trust their ability to learn, stay grounded in their strengths, and give themselves the patience to grow into the role.

I think one of the biggest opportunities in biotech right now is the acceleration driven by AI. We’re seeing ideas move from concept to application much faster than even a couple of years ago, particularly in areas like drug discovery, target identification, and development workflows. It’s an exciting shift because it’s fundamentally changing the pace at which innovation can happen.

At the same time, the industry is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, with meaningful opportunities across not only the scientific side but also business, commercialization, strategy, and marketing within the broader healthcare ecosystem. This creates multiple entry points for people with different strengths and backgrounds.

It’s a complex, high-stakes field that moves fast, which I think rewards people who can stay flexible and adapt quickly.

The three values I keep coming back to are integrity, empathy, and an open mindset, and what makes them meaningful is how they work together rather than in isolation.

Integrity isn't just about honesty in the obvious sense, it's about consistency between what you believe and how you act, especially when it's inconvenient. In a professional context, that means being transparent about what I know and don't know, following through on commitments, and being willing to have hard conversations when something isn't right.

Empathy is something I think gets underestimated in professional settings. People sometimes assume it means being soft or avoiding conflict, but I see it differently - it's about genuinely trying to understand those around you and either learning from or leading them from there. It makes collaboration better, builds trust faster, and makes the work more meaningful.

And an open mindset ties it all together. No matter how much experience you bring, there's always more to learn - from the data, from colleagues, from failure. I try to stay genuinely curious, always.