Liz has a BSc in Molecular Genetics (University of Sussex) and a PhD in Biology (University of York). She joined Green Biologics (an industrial biotech company) in 2007 as a Senior Research Scientist, becoming Group Leader in 2014, and then CTO in 2017. She was responsible for developing the clostridial genome editing technology, CLEAVE™, which enabled the use of clostridia as chassis strains for the production of alternative chemicals through fermentation of renewable and sustainable feedstocks. Since 2020 Liz has been CEO of Biocleave which has further established clostridia as a platform host for high value biomolecules, including proteins and peptides.

Liz is on the Biochemical Society's Training Theme Panel and Industry Advisory Panel. Alongside her colleague Mandy, she is co-developing a training workshop focussing on providing students with the transferrable skills needed to succeed in industry-based roles.

Chris studied at the University of Oxford for an MBiochem in Biochemistry and a DPhil in Engineering Science. He then undertook a Masters degree in Bioinformatics at the University of York with a research placement at Uppsala University. Chris spent a number of years postdoc-ing at the University of Oxford, with a concurrent teaching position as College Lecturer in Biochemistry at The Queen’s College. Here he researched cancer antigens and microRNAs in lymphoma (NDLCS), structural genomics of human disease proteins (Structural Genomics Consortium) and poly-ADP ribosylation in cancer (Sir William Dunn School of Pathology) focusing particularly on cancer targets such as ETS transcription factors, Polq, and ALC1. In 2015 he established his research group at the University of Huddersfield as a Senior Lecturer, focusing on the structural biochemistry of DNA replication and repair and their exploitation for biotechnology. Chris moved to his first industry position in 2021, as Director of Protein Science at Peak Proteins, prior to becoming the Director of Protein Sciences at CHARM Therapeutics in 2022.

Alongside being a member of the Industry Advisory Panel, Chris is also the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Biochemical Society’s journal Bioscience Reports, and is passionate about supporting early career researchers, having given presentations about transitioning careers between academia and industry at the University of Nottingham and also for a recent Biochemical Society webinar. Chris is also an active member of the Microbiology Society, where he is Chair-Elect of the Prokaryotic Division and was also a member of the Industry Working Group.

Marion graduated with a Master's in biotechnology from the University of Strasbourg, France, and completed a Master's thesis in the field of epigenetics in the US. After graduating, Marion joined Illumina in Cambridge, UK, and began her career as a lab-based biochemist, focusing primarily on the development of new sequencing platforms, biochemical assays, and analytical tools. After 5 years in product development working on different projects, she transitioned to the commercial side of the organisation working as an application scientist trainer. As part of the training team, she certified in delivering training on Illumina workflows whilst utilising her technical and communication skills. She enjoyed translating complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences and bridging the gap between technical knowledge and effective communication, whilst building expertise in the different applications of sequencing and customers’ needs/challenges on the market. After a year, she joined Eagle Genomics as a pre-sales application scientist, now applying her expertise in genomics to support the sales process of scientific products and solutions in the field of microbiome. She works closely with cross-functional teams and customers, providing technical guidance and conducting product demonstrations, while building expertise in the field of microbiome research and data analysis.

From a young age, Parisa has been interested in science and passionate about helping others through medical advances. She pursued a biochemistry and molecular biology degree, focusing her studies on pharmaceutical manufacturing and process development. She began her career in the biotechnology industry, working with microbial cells for plasmid DNA and recombinant protein production and gained extensive experience managing and optimising bioreactor processes through scale-up and commercialisation from early research. 

As her career progressed, she took on more managerial and consulting roles besides technical work, acquiring project management, scheduling, budgeting, and process optimisation skills. Parisa is currently a Project Manager at Charles River Laboratories (CRL). She prides herself on working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to accomplish complex goals. She stays current on the latest advancements in her field and embraces new approaches that may further scientific progress. Professional development and continuous learning have been priorities throughout her career journey, and moving forward, she plans to utilise her expertise and passion to make a meaningful impact and contribute to the critical work being done by the Industry Advisory Panel and its members.

Dr Norbert Volkmar is a cell biologist and proteomics researcher with extensive experience across leading academic institutions and the biotech sector. After completing his studies in Biochemistry, he pursued his PhD at the University of Oxford and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in the laboratory of Prof John Christianson, where his work revealed a previously unrecognised role for a ubiquitous protein complex in membrane protein biogenesis. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge in the group of Prof Paul Lehner, elucidating fundamental homeostatic mechanisms by which cells adapt to dietary lipid overload.

At ETH Zurich, in the laboratory of Prof Paola Picotti, Dr Volkmar applied conformational quantitative proteomics in both yeast and mammalian model systems, contributing to large-scale efforts to map protein conformational and interaction dynamics. He is currently a Discovery Research Scientist and Project Lead at DISCO Pharmaceuticals, a spatial proteomics spin-off, where he leads cross-disciplinary discovery programmes focused on translational target identification. His career bridges fundamental cell biology and industrial innovation, and he is strongly motivated to support career development for scientists working at the interface of academia and industry, while strengthening connections between academic and industrial bioscience communities.

Gareth Langley is a Research Leader at Charles River Laboratories, where he oversees a portfolio of multidisciplinary small-molecule drug discovery projects spanning diverse therapeutic areas and target classes. In addition to his scientific project leadership roles, Gareth mentors several of his junior colleagues and has extensive hands-on expertise in assay development, laboratory automation and in vitro pharmacology.

Before joining CRL, Gareth served as lead biochemist on a cross-institutional drug discovery program supported by the IMI-ENABLE initiative, a major collaboration between academic and industry partners, through hit-to-lead and early LO.

Gareth’s role is underpinned by a strong academic foundation in chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biosciences. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 2013 with an MChem in Chemistry, completing a fourth-year project at the interface of chemistry and biochemistry. He went on to earn his DPhil at the University of Oxford under Prof. Chris Schofield, focusing on biochemistry and molecular biology in collaboration with industrial partners and funding through the EPRSC and Doctoral Training Centre.

His research has been published in high-impact journals, presented at leading international conferences, and Gareth is a named inventor on multiple patents. Passionate about inspiring future scientists, Gareth has been a STEM ambassador since his first year of undergraduate study.