Dr. Roberto Padilla, resilient, fiercely independent, and a joy to be around. With a busy career in drug chemistry and a young family, we were pleased to have him back as a guest speaker for the first time (will not be the last given his great talk) since his graduation in 2016. Dr. Roberto Padilla used his experience as an IMSD alum to provide tips to current trainees about “surviving grad school (especially when tragedy strikes) and “pursuing a career in industry.” He discussed how you can pursue opportunities at AbbVie, where he is a Senior Scientist, including internships/Co-Op programs for undergraduate, graduate programs, and fulltime positions. Dr. Brenda Winkel, Professor, Biological Sciences, Roberto’s PhD research mentor, joined the forum to introduce him and to chair the forum presentations on “What You Can Do With Your PhD@ Epizyme/AbbVie.”

At AbbVie, Roberto is leading three or more drug development programs in collaboration with multiple sites around the world including in the US, Singapore, and Germany.  In addition to product development, his contributions have also included helping with his company’s paperwork filings with regulators including the FDA