Alumni share career advice with the next generation of Biomedical Sciences students

Biomedical Sciences alumni returned to Oxford on Thursday 18 June to share candid career reflections with final-year students, offering advice on navigating uncertainty, making career changes and applying a scientific mindset beyond the lab. The event marked a new step in strengthening the Biomedical Sciences alumni community, connecting graduates across cohorts with current students preparing for life after Oxford. As only around a third of the students present had firm post-graduation plans, the panel offered timely insight into the range of paths open to them.

Meet the panellists:

• Maxx Turing (St Edmund Hall, 2014) Founder of Startbook and COO at Centre for British Progress
• Isabelle Newell (Magdalen, 2018) Head of Rare Diseases, Costello Medical
• Alexander Dallman-Porter (Keble, 2019) Designer, Healthcare Services and Products at the Helix Centre, part of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London

 Each panellist shared the ups, downs, twists and turns of their career journey, highlighting how their Biomedical Sciences education helped them develop skills that continue to support them in their respective fields.

Maxx described how his early engagement with start-ups as a student led him into the start-up accelerator sector, where he developed expertise in helping young companies grow. This led to him founding Startbook to develop software solutions to tackle issues faced by start-ups. Following a short spell as a political candidate, Maxx took the opportunity to join the Centre for British Progress, to help set up this non-profit think tank and work on policy from a different angle.

Isabelle joined Costello Medical as an analyst straight from university. 8 years and various roles later, she is now Head of UK Rare Diseases, where she leads a team of approximately 25 people, in charge of managing the business strategy and overseeing the projects delivered for clients in the pharmaceutical industry. Isabelle is particularly motivated by the pro bono projects they deliver for non-profits, and by generally being able to work to improve access to innovative treatments for patients with very rare diseases.

Creative from childhood, Alex loves making things in his free time. After studying Biomedical Sciences, he completed a Master’s in Innovation Design Engineering at King’s College London and became involved as Chief Operating Officer of a small start-up developing a device for Parkinson’s disease. However, Alex soon found that the intense and fast paced nature of working in this environment was not for him. After 6 months working as a carpenter (which, in his own words, Alex recognised as an ‘over-correction’) he found his way to his current role at the Helix Centre, the right balance of the hybrid of an academic and design company. He enjoys learning about user experiences and looking at different solutions from changes in products or processes to improve them.

Students asked questions about recognizing the right career move, discovering unfamiliar sectors and making the most of Oxford’s support networks. The discussion led to several great pieces of advice being shared by the alumni:

• Career paths rarely move in straight lines.
• Unsuccessful steps can still provide useful direction, so do not be afraid to try opportunities outside your comfort zone.
• The Careers Service is worth using early and often!
• Biomedical Sciences skills are valuable in sectors beyond traditional scientific roles.
• Adaptability, structured thinking, and communication are major strengths of the course.

The event demonstrated the value of connecting current students with the experience and generosity of the Biomedical Sciences alumni community. Many thanks to Maxx, Isabelle, and Alex for sharing their time and insights, and to the Biomedical Sciences administrative team for their support in coordinating the event.

Alumni interested in supporting future Biomedical Sciences student-alumni activities are encouraged to get in touch with the Alumni Engagement Executive at alumni@smbms.ox.ac.uk.