Joppe Nieuwenhuis, PhD - Chief Operating Officer
Joppe Nieuwenhuis, PhD - COO at Bioio
Where are you from and what is your educational background? Where did you study?
I’m from the Netherlands and did my undergraduate work (Biomedical Sciences) at Utrecht University. During my Masters I did an internship on fruitfly genetics at Harvard Medical School and after that decided to do a PhD in functional genetics. I performed my PhD research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, in the lab of Prof. Brummelkamp.
Why did you decide to pursue the PhD/Post-doc journey?
I was fascinated by the power of functional genetics to unravel how cells work and how genes are ‘talking’ to each other. I wanted to learn to perform screens to solve questions on cell signaling. Being part of that field seemed like a very fulfilling purpose for me. Also, I knew that without a PhD any other career option, also outside of academia, would be more limited.
It is often said that the PhD is a marathon not a sprint race. What are your thoughts about it?
Considering it took me almost 6 years to close my PhD, I have to agree with this statement. It also makes sense: the purpose of a PhD is not just to publish a nice paper, but to develop yourself as a scientist, which is way more than just publishing a paper. Being part of the teams working on these papers, going through the cycle of a first observation, validation and translation to relevance for human biology or disease a couple of times cannot be done in 1-2 years.
When did you decide that you didn’t want to pursue an academic career? Was it before starting your PhD journey or during your PhD Studies (at the start, mid, at the end or after)?
I have always been fascinated with biotechnology and business in general. I knew, also before I started my PhD, that some of my talents might be best employed outside of academia. During my PhD we developed a technology and my PI spun that out into a biotechnology company (Scenic Biosciences). It was inspiring to see that process and see that these things are possible.
I also noted that I’m not a natural in doing experiments, although I have no problem with designing and conceptualizing experiments, the actual execution is better done by others. Moreover, the final result (a nice paper in a decent journal) was not satisfactory to me at all, especially considering how much effort it costs to get to this point. Taking these experiences together it was a logical step for me to explore other options and follow my curiosity in business.
When did you transition into industry?
Directly after getting my PhD.
What is a current position? What was/were your previous job(s) (If this is not your first job in private)?
My first job was director of business development at a biopharmaceutical CDMO. I’m still grateful that I got the opportunity to do this although I had no formal experience business experience whatsoever. It was a very commercial position, trying to find new partners/clients which were ranging from very small biotech start-ups to large pharma companies. It gave me the opportunity see the differences between these types of companies and learned that I’d love to work for a start-up myself.
That opportunity came in 2021 when I joined Rejuveron Life Sciences (RLS) as an ‘Innovation Scout’. RLS is a biotech portfolio company, meaning that they build small companies to develop assets, starting at the very beginning of the drug development process. My role was to find these assets, perform the scientific and business diligence to see whether it is a good fit for the business purpose of RLS. Here I worked with a great team of pharma-experienced scientists and people with a VC background, a great opportunity to learn more about company creation, fundraising and drug development.
During this time, it became clear to me that the inevitable next step would be to join a start-up or become a co-founder myself. This is what I’m currently doing at bioio (http://www.bioio.tech) . Formally my job title is COO, in a small company like ours this means I’m involved in practically all aspects of running the company, fundraising and finding the right collaborators.
Is your job related to what you have done during your PhD/Post-doc?
Absolutely, our discovery platform at BIOIO is based on genetic screens.
What are the aspects that you like the most about your job?
Working with people who share a vision on what should be improved in the drug development industry.
How has your work-life balance changed since moving to industry?
It became much better. In the lab days, I worked very long days and had a ~1hr commute. Nowadays I travel a lot to go to conferences and meet investors, but I enjoy that a lot. Besides that, my working hours are quite standard although I have to work quite often in the evenings because I am living in Vienna but have my company and most investment calls in the US.
How did you adapt to the cultural and operational differences between academia and industry?
Going from the lab to a commercial role means you will have to adjust to the social protocols in the new scene and learn to speak the language that people use. This is something I’ve very consciously worked on. I read about drug development and discovery and learn who are the main players are in each field.
Were there any new skills or knowledge areas you had to develop for your role in the industry?
As stated above, mainly in the language of drug discovery and development. You need to know what the difference between a drug candidate and a lead is, how the approval process with the FDA works and what the role of CROs are (just some very random examples). The details you’ll pick up along the way, but without knowing the basics you’ll have a hard time being a credible discussion partner for people in this space.
How difficult was it, to gain the required knowledge when you first started your job(s)?
All of this is not very difficult, it is just a new set of words that you’ll need to learn about. And ASK people in case you are unsure about it, it helps.
What was your experience concerning the transition into industry? What were some of the challenges you faced during your transition?
In general, it all was very smooth and I do not recall having any specific issues. I mainly recall feeling very inexperienced when I started my first role, because I was. I realized that I needed to learn a lot of technical stuff about what our company was doing. I also realized that it is more credible for potential partners if content experts would tell our clients about technical stuff than the director of BD.
What helped you before the transition (career events, workshops, contacting people on LinkedIn, friends)?
Contacting people, through my network was by far the most important. Network events can work but can also be intimidating when you are very new.
According to you which are the personal/soft skills that are mostly needed to undergo a successful transition into industry? Or in your case what helped you during your transition into industry?
Depends on what type of function you will end up in. In business development communication is everything. It is the way to build mutual trust which underlies every transaction.
What advice made a difference in your professional development?
Take risks. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who regretted moving out of academia.
What aspects of your academic studies helped you during your transition in industry (ppt presentation, public speaking, teaching, scientific project management, teamwork, multitasking…)?
Most importantly: being comfortable with talking about science. Secondary, public speaking and working in a team with a shared mission.
It is also said that networking plays an important role in transitioning into industry. Was it the case for you?
Yes, I got my first job because I was introduced to a person working at that company at a neighborhood get-together. A month later I had the job. Talk to people, as much as you can.
Did you do one or multiple internship(s) in the private sector after your PhD studies or Postdoc before being hired for a more “permanent” job in this sector? If yes, was it via the unemployment program?
No.
What advice would you give to PhDs and postdocs who are willing to look for opportunities outside academia/in industry?
Talk to people who did it and ask them to introduce you to the next person. In my experience, people are always willing to chat about their experiences and help you explore what would be the best fit for you. Also, realize how incredibly young you are as a PhD student. Your career just started; all opportunities are open for you.
If you could go back, would you change anything about your career path?
Very difficult, perhaps becoming a co-founder earlier, but it would have been a different company and different people…
What can I wish you for the next coming years?
Good health and a happy life
Joppe’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joppenieuwenhuis/
