Montana Careers in Biotech

Montana is a great place to launch a world-class career in biotech. From supporting clinical research to improve healthcare for underserved populations, to building software to diagnose diseases through gene sequencing, get inspired to build your own career at the intersection of the biosciences and technology. Co-hosted by the Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative, this webinar features guest speakers Karen Brown, PharmD, Founder and CEO of KLEO Research, Moses Leavens, PhD, Protein Biochemist at McLaughlin Research Institute, and Andreas Scherer, PhD, President and CEO of Golden Helix.

Resources

McLaughlin Research Institute's summer internship programs for students. The application opens 12/1/22. Students gain research experience in neurodegeneration that would help them towards a career in biotechnology.


Three Montana Innovators Share Their Tips for Launching a Career in Montana’s Biotech Industry

By Melissa Paulsen

On Thursday, November 10, 2022, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance and Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative partnered for a webinar featuring Montana careers in Biotech. Guest speakers included Karen Brown, Founder and CEO of KLEO Research in Missoula; Moses Leavens, Protein Biochemist at McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls; and Andreas Scherer, President and CEO of Golden Helix in Bozeman. Photo via Artem Podrez for Pexels.

To better understand the popular field of biotech and how you can excel in an exciting biotech career of your own, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance co-hosted a webinar with the Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative to interview three Montana innovators who are working at the intersection of the biosciences and technology. Panelists included:

  • Karen Brown, PharmD, Founder and CEO of KLEO Research in Missoula. KLEO supports clinical research to improve healthcare for underserved populations.

  • Moses Leavens, PhD, Protein Biochemist at McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls. McLaughlin Research Institute develops biomarkers to diagnose and treat dementia.

  • Andreas Scherer, PhD, President and CEO of Golden Helix Inc in Bozeman. Golden Helix builds software to analyze genetic data for cancer, germline diseases, and prenatal screening.

In this interview, Karen, Moses, and Andreas discuss their career stories, what a typical day looks like for them in the biotech industry of Montana, and the skills students can hone to launch a successful career in biotech. Questions and responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Discover which programming skills come in handy for launching a biotech career, learn more about a bioscientist’s typical day, and see if the biotech industry is a good fit for you in our webinar, “Montana Careers in Biotech,” and our exclusive Q&A article, “Three Montana Innovators Share Their Tips for Launching a Career in Montana’s Biotech Industry” featuring Karen Brown, KLEO Research; Andreas Scherer, Golden Helix, Inc.; and Moses Leavens, McLaughlin Research Institute.