When I first received the offer to join Aquillius, a promising startup in the biotech industry, I knew I was signing up for an unforgettable experience. Living in San Diego and working for some of the brightest minds in the startup community was not only a huge leap for me professionally but an absolute whirlwind of new experiences and discoveries. For these first two weeks, I have been focusing on learning the fundamentals of startup work, figuring out how to balance a busy office lifestyle, and soaking up the beautiful California summer sun!
I am currently staying in a lovely neighborhood in San Marcos, a beautiful small city just 30 minutes away from the Aquillius campus. The four other roommates I live with here are all student athletes, who create a wonderful environment and culture that balances hard work and a healthy lifestyle, and I have been having so much fun with them while they show me around their beautiful city. We have been staying active by playing beach volleyball every weekend, and being in the wonderful weather all the time has made every day here feel like a vacation!
I am also enjoying the incredible food and culture that I am surrounded by. I visited a gorgeous Italian restaurant called “Pizza Nova” just 5 minutes away from home, and they served an absolutely beautiful and delicious halibut piccata with lemon caper sauce, roasted vegetables, and even a charred lemon! All the locals here are so incredibly friendly and wonderful to talk to. I feel comfortable walking up and talking to any stranger I happen to meet, whether it be at the grocery store, waiters at the restaurant, or trainers at the gym; everyone here always has something nice to say. Despite only being here for two weeks, the warm welcome I received makes me feel right at home.
Aquillius is a startup biotech company located in the rolling hills of Rancho Santa Fe that specializes in renting out lab benches and office space to smaller startups who do not have the resources to have their own lab. They often describe themselves as an incubator because Aquillius helps facilitate the growth and development of smaller companies until they are able to branch out on their own. I am not only working for Aquillius and their various projects, but I also have been assigned a mentor, Dr. Ravi Chawla who specializes in biotech relating to bacteria cultures. I have learned so much from the guidance of our CEO, Dr. MyPhong Le and Dr. Chawla, and I cannot wait to see what other projects we will be working on over the next 8 weeks.
Aquillius is known for being excellent hosts for a variety of biotech conferences and seminars, and helping set up and run these get togethers has been extremely helpful in helping expand my professional network. My first week, we had a seminar called the Catalyst Capital Symposia, which is a monthly forum designed to help educate peers on up and coming sectors and technology that have the potential to revolutionize the industry. The talk this month was on AI digital biology, which showed how AI can be used to help simulate intracellular environments which can be used to predict outcomes of certain drugs and diseases. This event along with many others have begun to expand my network and immerse me into the wonderful world of biotechnology.
A fellow intern and I running the sign-in booth at the Seoul International Biotech Conference:
Header for this month’s catalyst capital symposia:
Joining the Aquillius team has been a steep learning curve, but an incredibly rewarding one. The rigorous coursework and research projects I have taken during the Cornell block plan have prepared me well for the difficult task of interning at an up-and-coming startup. My Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major has been particularly useful, allowing me to contribute meaningfully to important biotech projects from day one. One important project that I am working on includes developing standardized plasmid architecture for alternate feed options. What this means is that I am genetically engineering plasmids, or bacterial DNA, to fit a certain blueprint that will work best for our experiments, more specifically blueprints that allow bacteria to consume other forms of “food” that are cost effective and easier to produce. I have also been working on creating protocols and formal summaries of research papers with the purpose of educating & informing fellow lab mates to prepare them for future experiments for the company. In just two weeks, I have been able to start building important skills and accomplishments that will allow me to succeed at my time here at Cornell as well as my future career.
The Pfizer booth at the International Bio Convention in San Diego, where over 30 countries and states gathered to showcase the finest advances in biotechnology:
This experience is not only shaping my professional skills but also influencing my personal aspirations. Being surrounded by brilliant, like-minded peers and mentors have been invaluable for expanding my professional network and learning about the various career paths available in biotechnology. For example, I learned that cell biology research is divided into two categories; mammalian cells and bacteria cultures. These are very distinct and different fields from one another, and they each have their own specialized labs designed for working with them. This is done not only to prevent cross-contamination, but to also create easier access to lab tools and machines specific to mammalian and bacterial cells.
Moving to a new city and starting a new job simultaneously can be overwhelming, but it also offers a chance for immense growth and adventure. My journey with Aquillius in San Diego is just beginning, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Stay tuned for more updates as I navigate this exciting chapter of my life!