Mikayla Balch

Background

About Mikayla Balch

I am a scientist and a transgender woman. I have extensive experience in upstream process development working with variety of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. I've worked on processes from bench scale up to pilot scale and from preclinical to phase production. My focus is on managing projects and empowering teams to deploy cutting-edge biotechnology to address societal problems. I'm deeply passionate about advocating for equity and empowerment of LGBTQIA individuals at all levels of the biotech industry. Featured in Endpoints News' inaugural "LGBTQ Leaders in Biopharma" list. Teams are stronger when people can bring their whole self to work. Through visibility and education I seek to normalize our experience and humanize our existence. During my PhD, I was a fellow in Thayer’s Innovation Program which adds startup-focused business coursework above the standard PhD curriculum. This fellowship trains researchers on how to found new ventures and commercialize scientific discoveries. I believe start-ups are the most effective path to bringing new scientific advances to the public.