As a child, Ann Lee-Karlon* loved science fiction and adventure and immersed herself in stories from Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. Her favorite TV shows were “The Bionic Woman” and “The Six Million Dollar Man,” which chronicled the exploits of human-machines built in top-secret laboratories using ultramodern technologies.
Ann was fascinated by the scientists and engineers who worked together to create these extraordinary things. What stuck with her was the idea that scientific ingenuity could expand the bounds of human potential and shape the future.
House of Science
Looking back, it’s not surprising that Ann chose a career in science.
“I grew up in a house of science. My dad was an engineering dean and professor and my mom was a math major. So along with my love for science fiction, I had real-life science too,” says Ann.
In high school, she became interested in computers and computer science. She was captivated by the idea of integrating technology and biology and chose to pursue bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. During college, Ann learned to apply computational skills to solve problems. She had a chance to put them to the test during a memorable summer internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she helped to convert interplanetary imaging technology into biomedical tools for cardiology.
“It was an amazing summer. I got to meet Carl Sagan, who was a visiting scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and witnessed the start of the Voyager-Neptune encounter.”
After college, Ann joined the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) as a Ph.D. student in their bioengineering program. It was here that Ann gained a new perspective beyond her engineering training. “It was the first time I’d ever taken a molecular and cell biology class and I absolutely loved it. It was a completely different way of viewing what I’d wanted to do with technology and biology, this time at the molecular level.”
Mission-Oriented
After completing her Ph.D. and finishing a National Science Foundation postdoc in London, Ann joined a biotech company in La Jolla, California as a scientist focused on vascular tissue engineering.
This was Ann’s first leadership opportunity in the biotech industry. She led a team of diverse experts from different disciplines across the company. Ann says it was especially meaningful working in a smaller company where every decision could have big implications.
“It was a great introduction to thinking strategically and making decisions. It left me wanting to learn more about building teams and leading organizations.” Ann’s curiosity in these areas led her to the MBA program at Stanford University. Her experience in business school sharpened her existing analytical skills and forced her to think about how organizations work and how teams and people are motivated. It was an invaluable education that Ann utilizes to this day.
“It opened my eyes to the science of working as a team. High performing teams encourage debate and diverse views. It cemented the idea that making big discoveries and developing new medicines required a mission-oriented team.”
"High performing teams encourage debate and diverse views."
Building the Future Together
Ann joined Genentech in 2002. Her first Project Team Leader (PTL) role was an opportunity to put all of her skills into action by leading an entire development program.
“I love Genentech’s focus on teamwork and commitment to patients. A project team’s goal is to follow the science, seek truth, and drive strategic decisions to move molecules closer to patients. You get to work with incredibly talented people across research, clinical development, development sciences, regulatory, manufacturing, commercial, finance, partnering, and project and portfolio management. It’s like a mini company within a company.”
As a PTL, Ann led her project team through the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval of a new medicine for rheumatoid arthritis and led another team to develop a novel therapy for multiple sclerosis.
Today, as Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management and Operations at Genentech, Ann and leaders in her group oversee more than 35 project teams in the pipeline. While on its surface the job may seem far from her science fiction days, at a higher level it fits perfectly with her childhood dream — to work with a team to unlock scientific mysteries and to shape the future together.
*While Ann was an employee at the time this story was published, she has since left Genentech.