Diana is a biologist with over ten years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotech industries. She is currently the Director of Biology at Applied BioMath, where she is responsible for guiding strategy and providing biological and disease area expertise on projects to help clients make informed decisions during drug R&D. Prior to joining Applied BioMath, she worked in drug discovery research, where she led cross-disciplinary project teams from target identification through lead selection. Diana earned her PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT, and has a BS in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Scientist Spotlight

April 2020

What is your role at Applied BioMath?

“I am a biologist. My job is to help modelers translate biology into a model structure or a model-related question, as well as translate model outputs into biological interpretations.”

What do you love most about working here?

“I really enjoy seeing and helping companies realize their ideas and make their drug development processes more efficient. The level of innovation within this field is incredible to see, and I enjoy having a role in that process.”

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

“The most rewarding part is when you receive feedback from your client that your contributions have made an impact, and that our work has helped them in a meaningful way. That’s what we strive for.” 

What was your specialty prior to coming to work for Applied BioMath?

“My training is in biological engineering, and then I spent just under 10 years in drug discovery. Most of it was in early drug discovery at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, but I also did a short stint at a startup establishing their biology group—so a lot of early stage experimental work.”

What made you get into the field of life sciences?

“I always enjoyed math and science, especially biology. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in the beginning, but I knew I wanted to incorporate those two interests. Biological Engineering not only provided me with both but being a malleable degree, it presented a variety of career options.”

What do you like to do in your spare time?

“I’m finally finding the time to exercise which is nice. I signed up for my second half marathon, so I’ve been training for that. I also enjoy cooking, baking, and spending time with my kids.”

Do you have a motto or personal mantra you live by?

“It’s all good.” That’s how I approach life I think, “No worries, it’s all good.”

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

“In undergrad, I was a part of a team that ran an experiment on NASA’s Vomit Comet—a weightless simulator.”

What inspires you every day?

“I get the most inspiration from people who have it harder than I do.”