In this episode, Emil and Jannik, co-founders of Immunordic share their journey of building a startup in the biotech industry.

They discuss the challenges they faced while developing a technology platform for identifying protein binders using limited resources.

The conversation covers their initial focus on building synthetic libraries and wet lab methods, the pivot to an AI and machine learning-based approach, and the lessons learned from both successes and setbacks.

Key insights include the importance of networking, how to build a lab on a tight budget, and the value of persistence and passion in driving a startup forward. They also outline their current focus and future directions, aiming to provide accessible scientific tools for diagnostics, therapeutics, and academic research.

00:40 Founders' Backgrounds

02:29 Immunordic's Mission and Services

03:32 The Origin Story

06:08 Early Challenges and Lessons

11:17 Building the Lab

18:43 Funding and Resources

20:52 Understanding Through Teaching

21:55 Enrolling and Guiding New Lab Members

22:35 Identifying Student Drives and Aligning Projects

23:40 Challenges and Successes with Student Projects

24:39 The Pivot to In Silico Prediction

25:19 Building Synthetic Libraries and Bio Panning

26:08 Challenges with Wet Lab Services

27:50 Transitioning to Scalable Solutions

28:37 Adopting In Silico Methods

30:40 Client and Market Reactions to the Pivot

39:10 Future Plans and Collaborations

Ideas for future podcast guests or themes? 💡

We want to co-create this podcast with you. We'd therefore love to hear your suggestions for future podcast guests or themes.

Feel free to share in a private message or leave a comment below 🙏🏼

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Join Our Life Science Talent Ecosystem

We want to build a community to inspire life science professionals and leaders through talent talks and organized events. Share knowledge across the life science community through personal stories of their journey. We encourage you to take part in shaping this community by sharing your feedback, questions, or ideas. This you can do through our LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠community page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Warm Regards from your podcast hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nehar Mortuza⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Søren Spanner Bach

In this conversation, Marcelina outlines a practical roadmap for AI transformation within life sciences organizations, emphasizing that real progress begins with leadership alignment and people-centric change management.

She explains that senior leaders must first gain a foundational understanding of AI—ideally becoming super users—to communicate vision, reduce uncertainty, and guide their teams effectively.

People leaders then play a crucial role in translating strategy into day-to-day meaning for employees, influencing priorities, workflows, and professional development.

Marcelina also highlights the importance of governance, data readiness, and collaboration between C-suite leaders and boards, many of whom acknowledge the need for AI upskilling.

She stresses that successful AI adoption requires tailored training, not generic programs, referencing research that shows customized learning dramatically increases the number of super users and hours saved weekly.

Throughout the discussion, she shares insights from her book It Starts With Vision, including interviews with senior leaders across pharma, data science, IT security, and organizational transformation.

She encourages leaders to begin with curiosity, assess their organization’s current maturity, and use surveys and strategic sparring to design transformations that avoid wasted investment and maximize impact.

Key Topics Covered:

00:32:38 Why messaging from senior leadership and people leaders matters most in AI transformation.

00:34:00 Building the AI roadmap: upskilling senior leaders, creating super users, and enabling informed conversations.

00:35:32 The role of boards in guiding AI strategy and the increasing need for board-level AI literacy.

00:36:53 Training leaders, preparing for employee concerns, and aligning grassroots initiatives with strategy.

00:38:32 Why organizations start at different points in their AI journey and how to avoid siloed efforts.

00:40:15 Introduction to Marcelina’s book and why AI must be treated as a human-centered transformation.

00:42:21 Interviews inside the book: data science, pharma innovation, IT security, and change leadership.

00:46:02 Where to buy the book and why it’s a limited-edition release.

00:47:31 Why generic AI guidance fails—and how job-specific training changes adoption outcomes.

00:49:20 How Marcelina uses surveys to diagnose readiness and provide targeted leadership support.

00:51:29 Final call to action: read the book, take the survey, and seek tailored support.

Notable Quotes:

“This is a people-centric transformation—employees deserve to be led well through it.”

“Senior leaders don’t need to be specialists, but they must understand AI well enough to speak its language.”

“Tailored, job-specific training creates super users—generic AI training does not.”

“We need governance that can say yes and no to grassroots AI initiatives with confidence.”

“Once employees understand AI, they become drivers of process optimization instead of blockers.”

CTA:

Download the AI readiness survey to assess your AI maturity.

Follow Marcelina on LinkedIn for weekly insights on AI, leadership, and transformation.

Get the limited-edition book It Starts With Vision before the next print run out. Exclusive treat: Apply TALENT10 at checkout for 10% off!

In this episode of Life Science Talent Talks, host Nehar Mortuza sits down with Rahmad Akbar, Senior Data Scientist in Antibody Design at Novo Nordisk. Rahmad shares his remarkable journey from his roots in Indonesia to his pivotal role at the forefront of machine learning-driven protein engineering. Together, they explore how AI is revolutionising antibody design — from the technical advances and current challenges to the growing role of generative models in creating next-generation therapeutics. Rahmad offers insights into how these technologies are accelerating drug discovery, improving patient outcomes, and shaping the future of healthcare. He also speaks candidly about his transition from academia to industry, the personal motivations that fuel his work, and why collaboration and innovation are more essential than ever in the life sciences. Whether you're passionate about biotech, data science, or career development, this episode is packed with valuable perspectives you won't want to miss.

Timestamp and Show notes:

00:38 Meet Our Special Guest: Rahmad Akbar

02:19 Rahmad's Journey: From Indonesia to Novo Nordisk

03:35 The Role of Coding in Biotechnology

04:45 Antibody Design: Challenges and Innovations

06:48 Generative AI in Drug Design

10:04 Future Trends and Democratizing AI

19:00 Personal Motivations and Career Reflections

24:31 Transitioning from Academia to Industry

29:47 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Ideas for future podcast guests or themes? 💡

We want to co-create this podcast with you. We'd therefore love to hear your suggestions for future podcast guests or themes.

Join Our Life Science Talent Ecosystem

We want to build a community to inspire life science professionals and leaders through talent talks and organised events. Share knowledge across the life science community through personal stories of their journey. We encourage you to take part in shaping this community by sharing your feedback, questions, or ideas. This you can do through our LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠community page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Warm Regards from your podcast hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nehar Mortuza⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Søren Spanner Bach