Interviewee Dr. Sarah Chan (PhD)

Introduction

From Singapore to Seattle, from one multinational company to a nonprofit, this paper highlights the career journey of Dr. Sarah Chan. Dr. Chan is currently employed in Seattle as a Principal in Sage Bionetworks, however, she is originally from Singapore. Sarah moved with her family from Singapore a year ago, due to her husband’s job transfer. Sarah got her PhD degree in Molecular Biology from Singapore. Molecular biology is a field of study under the biology umbrella that focuses on cellular activity in organisms. The reason she chose to study molecular biology is because “[she loves] finding out about what’s happening in the natural world” and also her dislike for math. Being from such a diverse background, Dr. Chan was more than happy to share her experiences as a woman in the biological field. The goal of the interview was to use the insights from Dr. Chan on how a different setting can impact her tendency to connect, network, and communicate with peers. The interview resulted in a better understanding of Dr. Chan’s educational and work experience in Singapore impacted her experiences in Seattle.

Dr. Chan’s Professional Journey

Dr. Chan’s relocation from Singapore to the US in early 2023 has led to her immersion in a new cultural environment, particularly in the workplace. Despite this transition, she has actively engaged in her community, assuming pivotal roles such as chairwomen for Women in Seattle and an angel investor with the Seattle Angel Conference. Dr. Chan has a Ph.D. in Biology with 12-13 years of business development experience in early-stage life sciences technologies. She then markets them in the form of licensing research collaborations with startups, corporates, and academia. As she navigated through the professional landscape of Seattle following her relocation, Dr. Chan acknowledged the novelty of her surroundings, remarking,“…it was also a good chance to learn something new because I’ve always been in the biology, like pure biology field, but this is more of a tech platform data kind of field. So, being in Seattle, it’s a very good chance to learn about this area.” She’s been able to expand on new opportunities, attending hundreds of events in the Seattle area alone. Moving to a new unfamiliar profession has pushed her into navigating new experiences in and out of the workplace and expanding her roles within STEM and in the community. In Singapore, Dr. Chan already worked her way up to working at a global capacity, managing teams, and even working with partnerships, noting that her skills were more than transferable after the relocation.

Representing Biology created by Melanie Silvestre

Current Position and Responsibilities

Currently, Dr. Chan is employed at Sage Bionetworks, where she is instrumental in identifying, developing, and executing partnerships. Dr.Chan elaborates that she was “attracted to the mission because the mission is to make biomedical science research data available and accessible to everyone” working for a nonprofit organization pursuing the advancement of biomedical science is something she found enjoyment in being part of. Along with working at Sage Bionetworks, Dr.Chan is chair of Women in Bio in Seattle, where she is committed to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in life science. Dr.Chan states she worked with similar things when she was in Singapore, “Exploring the reasons for the decline in representation of women in STEM, studies have noted the interplays of culture and discourse, both within the STEM disciplines as well as societal (Kisselburgh et al, 2009;Snyder, Tan, & Hoffman, 2005).” Dr. Chan has always looked for ways to advance women in the STEM field and the industry underscores her dedication to fostering diversity and inclusivity for women.

Connecting

Throughout her career, Dr. Chan has been a catalyst for collaboration and partnership, not only within her professional sphere but also within her local community. Her extensive experience of working with individuals on a global scale has equipped her with a deep understanding of diverse perspectives and the ability to foster meaningful connections. She was attracted to the work-driven environment at Sage “where people are fully motivated” to make biomedical science research data accessible as “opposed to just trying to make, you know, profit out of it.” The goal of Sage, paired with Dr.Chan’s love for biology, has enabled her to connect with peers that have similar ideals.

Networking

Moving her career to another country has brought up challenges with her professional and personal lifestyle. Dr. Chan has attended multiple networking events a week since her move over a year ago. As she continued participating in these events she discovered she emphasized “But if you go to a lot of events, you’ll realize that Seattle is not very big.” Over time she started to recognize faces, start conversations with them, and grow friendships with some of the women at Women in Bio. “Peer relationships often are a critical source of instrumental support and developmental advice (Hill, 1992; Kotter, 1982).”Dr. Chan naturally expanded herself in the Seattle community simply by attending, continuing conversations with past connections, and recognizing familiar faces. “We tend to underestimate how much other people, and especially first-time contacts, might enjoy and find satisfaction in meaningful conversation.” Even if networking is still work you can meet interesting people. While her natural skills in networking aided her, she was also putting in effort to attend so many events which can be tiring for people. Dr. Chan mentioned that there are always casual networking events and after you meet the person there isn’t much to it! Dr. Chan debunked the fear of networking during the interview with how confident she was in her networking skills and emphasized the simplicity of networking. Dr. Chan didn’t have specifics on any key interactions since she has attended hundreds of networking events and simply said “Sometimes, they work. Sometimes, I meet interesting people. Sometimes, I don’t.”

A drawing of Dr.Chan created by Melanie Silvestre

Final Words

The helpful words by Dr. Chan gave us insight into connecting, networking, and communicating. Her experience in the multi-layered field of biology is due to her hard work and diligence. Dr.Chan shared with us that her mother expressed never to be dependent on anyone for money and carries that philosophy with her. We can all learn something from Dr. Chan’s experiences.

Work Citations:

• Arscott, Christie. “A Better Approach to Networking.” Harvard Business Review, 4 Nov. 2022, hbr.org/2022/11/a-better-approach-to-networking.
• Dr. Chan’s quotes are from an interview conducted on Friday, May 17, 2024.
• Dutta, Debalina. “Women’s Discourses of Leadership in STEM Organizations in Singapore: Negotiating Sociocultural and Organizational Norms.” Management Communication Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 2, 2018, pp. 233–49, https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318917731537.
• ‌Ibarra, Herminia. “Personal Networks of Women and Minorities in Management: A Conceptual Framework.” The Academy of Management Review, vol. 18, no. 1, 1993, pp. 56–87. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/258823. Accessed 3 June 2024.
• Kisselburgh L. G., Berkelaar B. L., Buzzanell P. M. (2009). Discourse, gender, and the meaning of work: Rearticulating science, technology, and engineering careers through communicative lenses. Annals of the International Communication Association, 33, 259-299.Crossref.