Consultant Spotlight - August 2026

How long have you been with miLEAD? 

I did my first project in the summer of 2024, so around 2 years!

What is the focus of your research?

My research focuses on understanding the kinetochore, the fundamental organelle in the mitosis of cells.

What are your current career goals?

My current career goal is to become a management consultant after graduation. During my PhD, I realized that, compared with conducting research, I am more interested in and better suited to applying my scientific knowledge to help companies solve business and management challenges! I hope to bridge my scientific background with strategic thinking to help organizations make better decisions and create meaningful impact.

What roles have you played on projects? 

I have typically worked as a consultant, where I have led both primary and secondary research within projects. My responsibilities have included identifying relevant KOLs, conducting outreach, developing and managing surveys, synthesizing findings, analyzing publicly available data, and translating those insights into actionable recommendations for clients. I was recently promoted to Project Manager, where I will be taking on greater responsibilities for project coordination and team leadership.

I also participated in the 2025 Midwest Healthcare Case Competition (MHCC) co-hosted by miLEAD, where I served as team captain and led our team to win first place!

What led you to seek out miLEAD?

Several students in my PhD program, Cell & Developmental Biology, were already involved with miLEAD, so I first heard about the organization shortly after starting my graduate school journey. Their experiences introduced me to miLEAD and encouraged me to get involved!

Since joining miLEAD, what skills have you been able to develop?

Since joining miLEAD, I have developed several skills that have been highly valuable to my professional growth. I learned how to create polished, client-ready presentations, communicate effectively with clients, and approach complex problems in a structured, consultant-like way. miLEAD is also a very professionally run organization, and I have learned a great deal from its organizational structure, project management processes, and overall operating model.

What has been one of your most rewarding experiences thus far working with miLEAD? 

Without miLEAD, I would not have gained such early exposure to consulting or developed hands-on consulting experience while still pursuing my PhD (many other universities do not have good consulting clubs like miLEAD that provides hands-on experiences!). The projects I had through miLEAD became a significant part of my resume and helped me demonstrate my consulting skills during recruiting for consulting firms.