Unlocking the technological potential of biology, Seemay Chou, Co-Founder & CEO, Arcadia Science
Oct 4, 2023
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Seemay Chou, Co-Founder & CEO of Arcadia Science, shares her journey from academia to entrepreneurship and the unique model of Arcadia. They discuss the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in life sciences, advancements in technology, automation, and the future of publishing. It's an exciting time to work at Arcadia!
Arcadia Science leverages AI and machine learning to explore biology across different scales and contribute to understanding organisms as technology.
Arcadia Science emphasizes the importance of adaptability, curiosity, and openness to unexpected directions in scientists' career paths to make progress in the rapidly evolving field of science.
Deep dives
Arcadia Science: An Experimental Life Science Research Model
Arcadia Science is an experimental new life science research model that aims to enable and sustain basic science. It operates as a for-profit company, focusing on generating scientific discoveries and exploring ways to translate them into real-world applications. By combining the expertise of basic scientists and entrepreneurs, Arcadia aims to create a venture creation studio that incubates its own ideas and executes them in-house. The company's research platform is oriented towards picking the right organisms for various scientific questions, with a focus on therapeutics. Through computational approaches and tools like AlphaFold, Arcadia aims to explore biology across different scales and contribute to the understanding of organisms as technology.
Shifting Paradigms: The Evolution of Science Careers
Sime Chao, the co-founder and CEO of Arcadia Science, discusses her journey from academic science to the entrepreneurial space. She emphasizes the importance of taking the first step and not getting too caught up in long-term planning. Chao highlights the need for scientists to be adaptable, curious, and open to unexpected directions in their career paths. She notes that in the rapidly evolving field of science, embracing new technologies and computational approaches is crucial for asking better questions and making progress.
Arcadia's Approach to Organism Selection
Arcadia Science is focused on selecting the right organisms for different scientific goals. The company seeks to expand beyond traditional model organisms and explore the use of diverse organisms as tools for study. By developing genetic tools and workflows, Arcadia aims to enable more customized approaches to solving research problems. The organization emphasizes the importance of nimbly moving across biology and building a comprehensive understanding of different organisms. While synthetic biology and organism manufacturing are not currently Arcadia's main focus, the company aims to contribute indirectly by developing tools and sharing findings in an open and interoperable manner.
Building a Distinctive Culture at Arcadia Science
Arcadia Science prioritizes honesty, humility, and a data-driven approach in its culture. The organization values open collaboration and seeks to attract individuals who are passionate about making progress in science and willing to contribute to a larger team effort. Recruitment is focused on finding candidates who align with the company's values and possess a strong sense of curiosity and self-awareness. Arcadia fosters a lighthearted atmosphere and believes in the power of combining rigorous scientific pursuit with a good sense of humor. Humility, honesty, and data-driven decision-making are seen as crucial for successful collaboration and progress in science.
Synopsis:
Seemay Chou, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arcadia Science, a research and development company leveraging the biology of emerging research organisms. Seemay sits down with Alok to discuss her move from academic science into an entrepreneurial role and her advice for others looking to make a similar transition. She talks about Arcadia’s unique model and how they’re pushing the boundaries of open science and innovating at every step in the research, development, and commercialization process. She shares how the company leverages AI and machine learning, the culture they’re building at Arcadia and why it’s such an exciting time to work there.
Biography:
Seemay is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company that applies an evolutionary lens to accelerate purposeful discovery of nature’s greatest innovations. Seemay joined Arcadia from UCSF where she was an Assistant Professor in Biochemistry and Biophysics. She received a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology from UC Berkeley.
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