Wellesley Grad Enters Research Program at Genentech, Aims for Doctorate
Izabelle Fernandez, a 2021 Posse graduate of Wellesley College, has accepted a two-year research position at Genentech’s Process Development Rotational Program in San Francisco.
Genentech is a biotechnology corporation that develops and commercializes pharmaceuticals for life-threatening diseases. As a participant in the Genentech research program, Izabelle will be involved with all aspects of the company’s manufacturing process, from discovery to determining a drug’s mass production. Izabelle notes that the program will give her an opportunity to explore four different departments at Genentech before committing to one department full-time.
“My fellow Posse Scholars love science and what they study, but they also make sure to invoke social change wherever they are.”
“I was really excited to get this opportunity because I am a scientist who doesn’t exactly know what she wants to specialize in yet,” Izabelle says. “I’m really excited to explore more fields.”
Izabelle’s interest in the pharmaceutical field grew from her classes and professors at Wellesley. Beyond the classroom, she also gained hands-on experience working in labs.
In 2019, Izabelle was awarded a Jeff Ubben Posse Fellowship to intern with Dave Ricks, the chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company—a top executive in the pharmaceutical field.
“As an Ubben Fellow, I learned about leadership at its most executive level,” Izabelle says, emphasizing that the experience solidified her interest in pharmaceuticals. “I was able to build my network and experience within the pharma industry.”
Izabelle credits her Posse and professors with helping her become a more confident person and scientist. As an undergraduate at Wellesley in the Posse STEM Program, Izabelle says she met many women who are pursuing STEM careers in largely male-dominated fields.
Izabelle hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in nanotechnology, quantum chemistry and physics.
“My fellow Posse Scholars love science and what they study, but they also make sure to invoke social change wherever they are,” Izabelle says.
She says she has been continually inspired by the work of her peers and mentors and advice they’ve offered along the way.
“At Wellesley, the biochem and chemistry professors have taught me and molded me into the scientist I am today,” she says. “They’ve helped build my confidence, and they encourage me to keep questioning and to keep going, even when experiments fail.”
Following her rotational program at Genentech, Izabelle hopes to pursue a Ph.D. program in the field of nanotechnology, quantum chemistry and physics.
Read More:
Ubben Posse Fellow Interviews: David Ricks
Meet the 2019 Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows.
