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Gain a detailed understanding of the education and experience of our Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management MSc programme, including the curriculum, core modules, project work, careers and networking.
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About this degree
This cutting edge programme that brings business together with biotechnology and pharmaceuticals has been crafted by academics and industry experts at the world’s first business school dedicated to health. Taught from a global top 10 university, the Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management MSc offers a unique opportunity to learn from the best in the sector and secure your future employability.
The pioneering world of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals is more globally relevant than ever before. Bringing biotechnology and pharmaceutical innovations to market requires experts with critical knowledge of this complicated world. With an ever growing need for the development of new drugs in response to emerging global medical issues, applying a business mindset to this area of health is increasingly vital.
The Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management MSc teaches students an advanced level of the interactions between business and science in this field. Bringing together the expertise of both the UCL Global Business School for Health (UCL GBSH) and UCL’s other cross disciplinary faculties, participants on the programme gain crucial insights from multiple perspectives. With content bound together by the pharmacoeconomics discipline, the programme also includes important information on regulations and market access. Bringing this action learning environment to life, students have the opportunity to take an idea for a drug or biotech product from the trials stage to market.
A Master’s degree that offers highly transferable and relevant skills, you’ll go on to bring an important blend of innovation, business skills and knowledge of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors to your future ventures and employers.
Programme curriculum
The programme is delivered through in-person lectures, seminars, weekly group tutorials, recorded lectures and workshops.
A one-week induction before the start of the programme will enable you to focus on personal and professional development, as well as team building with your peers. Prior to the commencement of the degree, you will also be invited to complete an unassessed, self-paced course on Global Health to give you a grounding in the global context of biotechnology and pharmaceutical management.
The content for the Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management MSc programme is delivered during terms one and two in seven modules. Term one modules provide a grounding in clinical trials and statistics, as well as the extensive regulatory frameworks that the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors operate in. Modules in term two go into depth about key business issues and opportunities, including commercialisation, supply chain and drug management.
Face to face attended sessions and online directed learning form approximately 15 to 18 hours per week in terms one and two. There is considerable independent reading and recorded lectures study expected through a module delivery period and in the identified revision weeks.
Throughout the 12-months, students will also work on two projects, and term three is dedicated to completing this project work and consolidating learning from terms one and two.
Assessment of the Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management MSc is through written examinations, coursework essays, presentations, assignments and two projects.
Modules
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits for this programme. This is comprised of six compulsory 15 credit modules, one compulsory 30 credit module, and two 30 credit projects.
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.
Core modules:
- Pharmaceutical and Biotech Policies and Practices - 15 credits
Focusing on biotechnology and pharmacology practices and strategies, this module looks in more depth at research and development, business maintenance and expansion and licensing. You will also learn about pharmaceutical expenditures and the pricing of drugs, as well as patents, intellectual property and patents.
Assessed through a 2,000 word policy brief (80%) and a group presentation of a case study (20%).
- Pharmacoeconomics - 15 credits
This module hones in on this branch of health economics which deals with identifying, measuring and comparing the costs and consequences of pharmaceutical products and medical technologies. As well as learning about the role pharmacoeconomics can play in decision making, you will also understand concepts involved in pharmacoeconomic analysis.
Assessed through a two-hour open book examination.
- Introduction to Clinical Trials Design and Statistical Analysis - 30 credits
Introducing students to the principles of clinical trials, this module looks in depth at designs, statistical principles and critical appraisal in the clinical trial field. Module content also includes treatment allocation methods, sample size calculations, statistical analysis plans, reporting clinical trials and understanding systematic reviews.
This module – Introduction to Clinical Trials Design and Statistical Analysis - is offered through the Institute of Clinical Trails and is an online module.
Assessed through a 2,000 word assignment (50%) and a two-hour exam (50%).
- Healthcare Supply Chain Management - 15 credits
Looking at the various aspects of healthcare supply chain management, this module explores topics including obtaining resources, managing supplies and the delivery of goods and services to providers and patients. You will also gain insights into the stakeholders involved, upstream and downstream relationships with suppliers and customers and the role of regulatory agencies.
Assessed through a two-hour open book exam.
- Pharma Commercialisation and Marketing - 15 credits
Designed to provide a foundation in marketing concepts and principles specifically for the pharmaceutical industry, this module highlights the opportunities and challenges in the commercialisation of pharmaceutical products. Module content includes stakeholder engagement, how pricing and payment arrangements differ between health systems and business development approaches.
Assessed through a 2,500 word case study analysis.
Elective modules:
- Capital and Equity Markets for Healthcare - 15 credits
This module looks at how capital and equity markets work, as well as how they can be used to advance the research and development of healthcare products. With a focus on early stage biotechnology firms who are driving innovation in the healthcare sector, you will learn about the features and challenges of investing in healthcare innovations and how investors assess companies in this field.
Assessed through a 2,000 word business case analysis (80%) and a 10-minute group presentation (20%).
- Commercialisation of Research Ideas - 15 credits
This module - Commercialisation of Research Ideas - provides a structured approach to understanding how discoveries in bioprocessing or life sciences can be taken through to a real outcome. You will learn about evaluating potential commercial opportunities, selecting optimal routes for commercial exploitation, and constructing business plans to raise funding.
This module is offered through the Biochemical Engineering department and delivered on the Bloomsbury Campus.
Assessed through coursework (70%) and an essay (30%).
- Entrepreneurial Finance - 15 credits
This module - Entrepreneurial Finance - is designed to teach students to make and evaluate investment and financing decisions in entrepreneurial settings. The module covers all stages of a venture's life cycle, from startup to exit, and delves into deal structures, business models, and valuation.
The first half of the module will address critical issues faced by entrepreneurs for financial success, including financial management and investment questions such as how much money should be raised at each stage, when it should be raised, and how funding should be structured. It aims to prepare students for these decisions, both as entrepreneurs and as investors.
The second half of the module looks at a variety of financing models across the venture's life cycle, with an aim to understanding the incentives of each type of investor, the relative costs and benefits of each source of funding and the connections between a venture's financing strategy and its product-market strategy.
You should leave this module with a sound understanding of financial management practices and investment from the entrepreneur and investor’s perspectives.
- Initiating a Pharmaceutical Start-Up - 15 credits
This module - Initiating a Pharmaceutical Start-Up - will permit students to learn the best practice of initiating and building a pharmaceutical start-up company from the ground up. It will be taught by members of academic staff from the UCL School of Pharmacy who have direct experience of doing so (Profs Basit, Brocchini, Buckton, Uchegbu; Dr Gaisford), complemented with industry speakers from SMEs. Issue around generating the idea/concept for the business, developing a sound business case to raise finance, and the key resources (staff and otherwise) that need to be in place will be considered in depth. Methods to cultivate contacts both to initiate and grow the business will be discussed, as will intellectual property aspects and common pitfalls.
Projects:
Students must complete two projects for the Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management MSc.
- Business Project - 30 credits
This is a group project to develop an idea for a new drug or biotech product from the analysis and trials stage to a business plan. The project brings together learning and key aspects of business and management that you acquire throughout the programme, including strategy, project management, financing, marketing and leadership. Group work involves conceptualising, undertaking proof-of-concept, developing a business proposal, preparing an outline business case and subsequently a detailed business case on an approved project.
Assessed through an 8,000 word group project report (70%), a group presentation (20%) and 360-degree feedback (10%).
- Research Project - 30 credits
This is an individual project on the topic of your choice to use and demonstrate your research skills and knowledge of biotech and pharma management. Giving you the opportunity to shape and engage with a topic you are interested in, the project combines your learning from the programme with desk-based research to create an original piece of research.
Assessed through a 7,500 word research paper.
MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management Industry Mentors
We have a team of industry mentors who are experts in the biotech and pharmaceutical management fields, who offer guidance and advice to MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management students.
- Yousef Ahmad - Director of Medicines Optimisation and Integrated Care System (ICS), Chief Pharmacist at NHS Frimley ICS
Yousaf Ahmad is currently the Director of Medicines Optimisation and Integrated Care System (ICS) Chief Pharmacist at NHS Frimley ICS. Yousaf has extensive experience within secondary care, having worked primarily in large acute health boards in Scotland and in the Middle East. Yousaf is a fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and holds several certifications that detail his knowledge and expertise. He has written several research papers, with a notable writing accolade in a pharmaceutical encyclopedia that was commissioned by Elsevier. Yousaf continues to represent Pharmacy at a national level through committee memberships with UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) bodies and as an advisor on a NICE panel committee.
In addition to a number of advisory and editorial roles at prestigious pharmacy publications such as Pharmacy in Practice, Pharmacy Management, Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice and Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy Journal. Yousaf also holds several Non-executive and Board roles at various institutions including a digital healthcare company and as a school governor. He is passionate about workforce transformation and innovation in practice, including the role of technology in healthcare, during his career Yousaf has worked on several projects designed to ensure the skillsets of healthcare professionals are utilised to the fullest. In 2020, Yousaf was appointed by the Privy Council to the governing council of the General Pharmaceutical Council in the UK and therefore responsible for the regulation of all 80,000 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and approximately 13,000 pharmacy premises in the UK. Yousaf believes that students in the fields of Biotech and Pharma have to have the right balance between technical knowledge coupled with understanding population health under the backdrop of technological advances.
- Danny Bosch - Associate Director of Commercial and Business Development at Imperial Health College Partners
Dr. Danny Bosch is Associate Director of Commercial and Business Development at Imperial Health College Partners. He is a commercialisation strategist who supports organisations with their commercial strategy to turn investment into impact.
Danny has an M.Sc in Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and brings a broad range of international Biotech and Pharma experience from academia, government, and industry (early-stage ventures to multinationals). In 2019, Danny was chosen to be 1 of 100 selected global ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ to attend the biotechnology leadership Gapsummit. His experience from across the ecosystem allows him to apply scientific methods to business growth catalyzation.
It is exciting to see that the programme is addressing the important interactions between business and science in this field because commercialisation of scientific innovation requires overcoming many hurdles. I am expecting participants to become equipped with the tools to be leaders who can address the challenges of tomorrow.- Uday Bose - Country Managing Director and Head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim
Uday has spent his entire professional career working in the life sciences sector and has experienced first-hand the profound impact the sector has upon society.
Uday started his career as a health economist where his task was to demonstrate the value of medicines, and this grounding continues to prove invaluable to him. Having worked with early pipeline assets and held P&L responsibility at both local and regional levels, Uday has had first-hand experience on what it takes to not only bring a medicine to market but how to make sure it reaches the patients for whom the sector exists.
The MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management programme offers the opportunity to get an excellent overview of the sector and understand how decisions are made in what is a highly complex and heavily regulated environment. Uday is excited to join the UCL GBSH on this journey and hopefully play my role in developing our next generation of leaders.
- Tony Hickson - Chief Business Officer at Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Cancer Research Horizons
Tony Hickson's role is to help researchers transform their ideas into products and services that help patients. Over a long career in pharma, biotech, and diagnostics, covering industry, investment, academic, and charity sectors, Tony has focused on protecting intellectual property, IP licensing, start-up formation, and early-stage investing.
Tony's current role is Chief Business Officer with Cancer Research UK, leading the commercialisation of ideas arising from our funded research via our innovation engine known as Cancer Research Horizons. His experience ranges from working in the healthcare industry spanning roles in R&D, QA, and manufacturing, and then migrating out of the lab into business development, marketing, and IP licensing. More recently Tony has focused on start-up formation, early-stage investing, and entrepreneurship. Tony is excited to be an industry mentor for the MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management programme, and believes courses like this can provide the confidence and vocabulary to next the next step into management or the business side of the organisation, or even to encourage internal innovation within a company environment.
- Hilary Jones - Clinical Team Lead UK/IE & Clinical Development & Operations Program Lead (Oncology) at Boehringer Ingelheim
Hilary holds a degree in Natural Sciences (Pharmacology) and a PhD in Molecular Pharmacology. Hilary has been working as a clinical research professional in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years, including 15 years at Boehringer Ingelheim. She has worked across all phases of clinical development, in partnership with commercial and academic organisations, and across several therapeutic areas. Hilary's main focus has been on oncology clinical development and is proud to have played a key role in the development of a novel agent which is now available for the treatment of lung cancer. She is now looking forward to sharing her experience with the MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management students and sharing some of the breadth, complexity and challenges of clinical trials in pharma. The MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management programme covers a broad range of topics and will provide an excellent foundation for anyone considering a career in drug development. Future graduates will be required to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical situations in a rapidly changing environment and this will ensure a challenging but very rewarding career.
- Kyle Jones - Senior R&D Manager at Pall Biotech
Kyle Jones joined Pall Corporation in 2013 as an R&D Scientist providing analytical support for cell culture projects and other various applications within Pall Biotech. Kyle then moved on to supporting a range of projects within Pall’s filtration portfolio (virus/sterile/air) before moving into focused work on Pall’s modular and system range of products.
Kyle is currently a Senior R&D Manager in the R&D Bioprocessing team based in Portsmouth, where his team focuses on Downstream technologies covering a range of product developments in filtration, modular systems, connectors and mixers. Outside of work, he enjoys playing football, going to the gym, watching new movies and spending time with his family.
Kyle is excited to be joining the GBSH as an industry mentor, and believes the MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management programe provides a unique experience for students to understand the link between business and the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, which will give graduates a distinctive position for their career development, with the course offering the development of transferable skills highly sought after in the sector.
- Aziz Kagdi - Operations Programme Director & Senior Leader
Aziz is a Biopharmaceutical professional with extensive GMP manufacturing experience, particularly in the production of the viral vectors used for Cell and Gene Therapy treatments. He is currently pursuing a Senior Leader apprenticeship (MBA) from The Open University, and he is part of BIA MAC LeaP alumni.
Aziz started at Oxford Biomedica (OXB) in the Manufacturing department, working his way up from an operator executing batches, to leading the manufacturing support teams. Since 2021, Aziz moved into a programme manager role in the Operational Strategy function, focused on digitalisation of OXB’s systems, and has led the development of the operational digital strategy. Prior to OXB, Aziz worked at Lonza Biologics and MSD Animal Health.
This master’s programme is one of the rare courses which offers the flavours of science and business together and it will be ideal for young entrepreneurs looking to establish their start-ups in this fast-growing sector. The exposure from this course should allow students to identify the opportunities within biopharmaceutical sectors aligned with their interests and build up a successful business to serve the community.- Rania Kawar - Associate Regulatory Affairs Director at AstraZeneca
Rania holds a Pharmacy degree and an MSc in Regulatory Affairs. She started her career in the pharmaceutical industry with Hikma Pharmaceuticals. She worked on formulation development and quality control labs before she moved to Regulatory Affairs, where she spent several years leading regulatory projects, developing regulatory strategies, and delivering outcomes.
In 2014 Rania moved to the UK where she joined global pharmaceutical companies such as Allergan, Janssen, and AstraZeneca, focussing on regulatory strategy for International Markets.
Rania’s areas of expertise include International Regulatory Affairs covering several therapy areas and several markets such as the US, EU, Middle East, Africa, LATAM, AsiaPac, Russia & CIS; Health Authority interactions, Marketing Authorising Applications, lifecycle management, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls), Regulatory Inspections, GMP, ICH guidelines, clinical trials. She worked on biologicals, small molecules as well as generics.
Rania is delighted to join the GBSH as Guest Lecturer and Industry Mentor.
- Agnes Khol - Chief Business Officer at AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals
Agnes Kohl is based in Vienna (Austria) and currently assumes the position of Chief Business Officer at AOP Health Group, mainly being responsible for business and corporate development as well as program management. After having studied pharmacy at the University of Vienna and having finalised her education as a pharmacist, she started her career in the pharmaceutical industry at Baxter as well as Torrex Chiesi until she joined AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH in 2004. During the first years, she was responsible for different areas such as regulatory affairs, quality management, pharmaceutical development and pharmacovigilance. Given the focus of the company, she specialized in products for orphan and rare diseases as well as emergency/intensive care. Agnes led the regulatory affairs and quality management department for more than 10 years, achieved more than 250 regulatory approvals worldwide and was responsible for the successful conduct of authority GMP/GDP inspections during that period.
In 2015, she changed roles and took over responsibility for building up the business development team as well as project management to support future growth of the company. An important part of this role was also to strengthen the IP portfolio by filing new patents and trademarks. As Chief Operating Officer, Agnes supported quality and supply chain management teams during the process of building up a secondary packaging site in 2021.
Recent achievements were successful negotiations of business deals with companies based in the US and Europe.Agnes is interested in supporting students to gain additional knowledge in the area of pharmaceutical industry and is happy to share her experience within the frame of the UCL Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management programme. She considers this programme a unique chance for students to learn about different areas of the pharmaceutical industry and a perfect opportunity to get in early contact with experienced professionals.
- Justin Mason-Home - Director/Owner HPAPI Project Services Limited
Justin Mason-Home is an organic chemist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and recognised global expert in potent drug occupational health and safety. He is a frequent chair and/or speaker at numerous [Highly] Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (HPAPI) international conferences. Justin has supported the development of numerous HPAPI facilities and projects across biopharma, including substantial work on Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC) immunotherapies, some of which involve some of the most potent and toxic molecules in the history of pharma. He has dealt with persona healthl and business consequences of workers exposed to potent drugs, suffering serious and sometimes life changing health-effects. FDA/EMA administer robust systematic and scientific rules and regulations (cGMP) that control drug safety, efficacy and manufacturing standards; all designed to protect the [vulnerable] patient. In contrast, worker protection measures are regulated via general health and safety laws, frequently to a much less rigorous standard than product safety. Two levels of science are being applied. Worker protection comes under the criminal law and should be complied with. Good potent drug safety management is good business, whether manifest as avoidance of health effects in workers or in the form of well-designed facilities and processes as well as legal compliance. Graduates should have the objective of integrating potent drug safety into pharma business project planning and apply a level of science comparable with that applied for product quality management.
- Jim Mills - Director at Mbio Ltd
Jim is an independent consultant with over 25 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry in a number of wide-ranging roles including bioprocess development, GMP manufacturing, Quality, technical and business operations. He has held senior and executive positions within companies such as Cantab Biopharmaceuticals, Abzena, Xenova and Freeline Therapeutics. Jim has a PhJim is very excited by the potential of the Biotech and Pharma management programme, as previously the interface between science and business within the biopharma industry has largely been unrecognised and underserved. Current business leaders largely tend to have either a science or a business background and rarely both. The future graduates of the Biotech and Pharma management programme should be better skilled to become the next generation of successful biotech business leaders.D in microbial physiology and biochemistry and a first degree in biotechnology.
- James Peach - CEO of Human Centric Drug Discovery
James is the founding CEO of Human Centric Drug Discovery, an Oxford University spin-out improving neurology drug discovery by bringing more human data to the process. He is also a founder director of Univ8 Genomics, a next-generation cancer sequencing company. He’s a mentor at the P4, CancerTech and Start Codon incubators and an Expert Data Commercial Advisor to Cancer Research UK. He delivers consulting projects via his company Precision Strategy. James has been at the forefront of genetics and data in the UK for some years, since leaving McKinsey to set up Cancer Research UK’s Stratified Medicine Programme with AstraZeneca and Pfizer, and the parallel Stratified Medicine Innovation Platform with the Technology Strategy Board. He subsequently was a founding partner of Syncona, the Wellcome Trust’s venture capital arm, focussed on UK genetic and data opportunities. He joined Genomics England as first employee and Managing Director of the Main Programme, setting up the sequencing and sample acquisition operations of this national initiative with Illumina and the NHS Genomics Medicine Centres. He then worked in the Precision Medicine and Medicines Discovery Catapults, helping UK biotech companies with access to human biological samples and electronic health records. He set up and ran commercial aspects of HDR UK’s cancer data access hub DATA-CAN, creating a sustainable cancer data organisation serving major pharma for HEOR and RWE, as well as advising Flatiron and Janssen. James has advised major UK clients including HDR UK, ABPI, Sensyne Health, Roche, Novartis and a number of start-up companies. James served on the Department of Health’s Human Genomic Strategy Group and the Emerging Science and Bioethics Advisory Committee, and he organised the Sanger Commercialising Genetics course in 2018. He was a board member of the Entente Cordiale Scholarship scheme. He lives in London with his wife and two children, and enjoys climbing mountains.
- Mark Proctor - General Manager of AstraZeneca’s R&D and Operations
Mark Proctor is the General Manager of AstraZeneca’s R&D and Operations site in Liverpool (UK), which is primarily responsible for the development, manufacture, In 2015, Mark left the site to lead AstraZeneca’s Global Technical Services team responsible for providing CMC support for all marketed products across the world. In 2017, he moved into a strategic brand leadership role as a Global Supply & Strategy Snr. Director responsible for new product launch and supply chain strategy. Most notably Mark led the Global Supply Teams responsible for the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 in the UK and Internationally (ex-Americas).and release of the sterile bulk drug substance for the seasonal Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine. Mark previously worked at this site (2009 to 2015) as the MS&T / CMC Director where he played a key role in the introduction of the quadrivalent vaccine formulation, setup the R&D team in Liverpool, and delivered a multi-award winning manufacturing automation program. Before joining AstraZeneca Mark worked for BioPharma Services, a specialist biopharmaceutical consultancy. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, holds a Master’s degree in Biochemical Engineering (UCL), and an Executive MBA (Cass Business School). He was awarded the rank of CBE in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to the Covid-19 response.
- Matthew Goodman - CEO and founder of LUCENT Biopharma
A physician by training, Matthew studied medicine in the UK before specialising in general surgery. He began his career in drug development by joining Sanofi, soon moving to global positions with Novartis in both Switzerland and the US. In 2009 he returned to the UK to head the Clinical Research programs of Prosidion, an Oxford-based biotechnology company breaking new ground in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Matthew’s first start-up healthcare company, Mapmyhealth, was the first UK digital therapeutics company. It dedicated itself to the use of innovative technologies in the treatment of long-term conditions, and uniquely put its software products through clinical studies to demonstrate their value. Subsequently he founded LUX Health Technologies, a healthcare machine-learning company breaking new ground in using pattern recognition to detect illnesses in those who are otherwise well. In 2022 Matthew founded LUCENT biopharma – a specialist biopharma consultancy based on his expertise in clinical development, regulatory, market access and medico-marketing. LUCENT partners with pharma and biotech to help them excel in achieving their integrated clinical and commercial goals. Matthew is delighted to join the GBSH as a guest lecturer and mentor to the Biotech and Pharma Management programme, supporting the next generation of lifescience leaders in their pursuit of improving human health across the globe.
- Misan Abu Rmaileh - EVP, Corporate & Business Development at NewBridge Pharmaceuticals
Misan currently holds the role of EVP, Corporate & Business Development at NewBridge Pharmaceuticals based in Dubai, UAE. Misan went into Business Development & Licensing by serendipity at Hikma Pharmaceuticals in Jordan and it has been her passion since then. Misan is pleased to be an industry mentor for the unique MSc Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management programme, as she believes it will provide students with a comprehensive view of the industry and helps them explore their interest by being exposed to the various aspects.
- Steven Robery - Corporate Development at Evelo Biosciences
Steven has spent 10 years working in the healthcare industry, with experience across Consulting, Pharma and Biotech. After completing a PhD in molecular biology, his career started in consulting at Lifescience Dynamics and was focused on supporting commercial stages of product development, competitive intelligence, market research as well as market access, pricing and reimbursement. During this time, Steven managed and grew accounts with major Pharma and Biotech organisations across Europe, before moving to San Francisco, where he continued to build out the US business. After consulting, Steven joined GSK where he worked within the Business Development organisation, as well as providing support to both R&D Strategy and Portfolio groups. Steven currently works at Evelo Biosciences, a clinical stage biotech, within Business Development, where his role focuses on partnering and corporate strategy. The Biotech and Pharma management program will enable students to gain a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with working within the Industry. This course could provide a great entry point into starting a career in Industry or consulting.
- Brian Smith - Principal Advisor at Pragmedic Limited
Professor Brian D Smith is a world-recognised expert in the evolution of the life sciences industry. He has worked in the industry for over 40 years as a scientist, executive, academic researcher, author and advisor. His 300 articles papers and 8 books, including “The Future of Pharma” and “Darwin’s Medicine”, have made him one of the industry’s most prominent thought leaders. in his presentation he will introduce his new book “New Drugs, Fair Prices” which asks how we can sustain pharmaceutical innovation whilst achieving affordable access to those medicines. Taking a novel, ecological perspective, he will suggest how the industry, government and others can act to reconcile innovation with affordability.
Careers
Getting an MSc in Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management will add value to your profile and take you into the rapidly expanding field of business and leadership in these industries. If you are already a science graduate or a practicing scientist, this degree can be an opportunity to reshape your career from the laboratory and bench to the board room. For those coming from other backgrounds, you will gain the knowledge and skills to join these fast-paced sectors that are leading change in health and healthcare.
As biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies grow and innovate, there is high demand for people from all backgrounds. Many companies are searching for individuals with cross-disciplinary skills and heightened commercial awareness who can bridge their understanding into these dynamic, but unique industries to provide business and leadership talent. Scientists and non-scientists together make diverse teams with growing career paths in marketing, finance, business intelligence, data science and business development areas.
Whatever your educational background, you will develop your managerial, team work, marketing and commercialisation skills that are highly sought after by the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. There are excellent career opportunities in roles such as project management, supply chain management, drug development, regulatory affairs, business development, strategic management and others. You will find these opportunities within companies across the globe, including multinational pharmaceutical and biotech companies, life sciences, research and development organisations, e-health and consumer healthcare.
You will have the opportunity to network, attend career fairs and take advantage of tailored career guidance and events. You will have immediate access to UCL Career Services and Innovation and Enterprise Services to ensure you have all the support to meet your career ambitions.
Access the UCL Careers Service.