Sunita Jones

Current position

I work at UMIP Ltd., the managing agent for intellectual property commercialization for The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

I am the business manager (licensing) in charge of commercialization of drug discovery and therapeutics intellectual property. I identify potential commercial partners, negotiate mutually beneficial technology access terms, and secure licenses. This requires a proactive, externally focused, and results-orientated approach and a strong desire to drive real world applications from innovative bioscience research.

How I Got Here

Serendipity! I never wanted to go to school in California, but married a physicist from SLAC and had to move!

What Keeps Me Motivated

I really love what I do. I have a fantastic team, a great boss, great work environment, and extremely challenging projects to manage. The knowledge that I am contributing in some way to the translation of research findings into sustainable improvements in clinical outcomes is a great motivator.

What Keeps Me Up At Night

I have an hour commute each way and by the time I go home each day I am exhausted. Sleep comes easy!

Most Important Thing I Learned AT STANFORD

It is possible to do whatever you want and get to wherever you want with a bit of focus, determination, optimism, and great mentors. What I Do To Relax Walk the dog!

What’s On My Night stand

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. A very good friend who was a postdoc with me at Stanford and who is now completing her residency in Germany sent it to me for my birthday a few weeks ago. Courtesy of Sunita Jones In Good Company

Joe Arron

Current position

Scientist (MD), Immunology, Tissue Growth and Repair Biomarker Group, Genentech, Inc.

I have a joint appointment in both research and development, and direct a laboratory that focuses on mechanisms and biomarkers of human disease in asthma and retinal disorders. Our goal is to identify molecular subtypes of these diseases and develop biomarkers and diagnostic tests that can be used to guide targeted therapy.

How I Got Here

After completing a combined MD-PhD program at Cornell Medical School and The Rockefeller University in molecular immunology, I wanted to build new skills in chemical genetics and developmental biology. I was accepted to a postdoctoral position in Jerry Crabtree’s lab at Stanford to work on developing novel molecular tools to address important biological problems.

What Keeps Me Motivated

My group’s motto is “the right drug for the right patient.” Highly targeted molecular therapeutics promise significant benefits, but only if those targets are relevant in the patients being treated. Understanding the heterogeneity of complex human diseases on a molecular level is paramount to delivering personalized therapy and discovering new therapeutic pathways.

What Keeps Me Up At Night

Not much. I work too hard during the day and am grateful for the rest!

Most Important Thing I Learned AT STANFORD

Doing great science is absolutely essential, but will only take you so far. You also have to be able to explain to diverse audiences why your work is relevant.

MY FAVORITE MEMORY OF STANFORD

Long summer days. Playing the back nine holes of the Stanford golf course, going to lab and doing experiments all day, then back to the golf course to play the front nine by dusk. Now, with a young daughter and meetings all day — and I can’t golf at Stanford for $20 — life is still good but no longer simple. Sarah Tuttleton Arron

MY VISION OF THE PHD/ POSTDOC EXPERIENCE

A postdoc is a great deal of hard work, uncertainty, and frustration, and, it’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In retrospect, it’s a wonderfully productive and formative experience.

WHAT I DO TO RELAX

Come home from a hard day of work and cook a nice dinner for my family.

WHAT’S ON MY NIGHT STAND

More Information than You Require by John Hodgman. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Beautiful Evidence by Edward Tufte. The most recent issue of The New Yorker.