Stephanie Davis, Ph.D. participated in the OTC Fellows program form January-July 2019. She is currently working for the National Institutes of Health. She is a program manager at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Office of Small Business Research.
1. Did being an OTC Fellow change your career trajectory? If so, how?
I did my OTC Fellowship for less time than most fellows did; I was slated to leave UK in July 2019 when my postdoctoral contract was up. However, I am incredibly grateful that I had the chance to work at the OTC because when I was interviewing with my current fellowship placement, I specifically sought out positions focused on the intersection between policy/government and entrepreneurship. I’m not sure if I would have developed as strong of an interest in this field if I had not had the chance to be an OTC Fellow, so I would say it helped change my career path for the better.
2. How did being an OTC Fellow help you with your current job?
Being an OTC Fellow allowed me to work very closely with budding entrepreneurs, and that is something I do very frequently in my current position. Also, performing market assessments allowed me to critically examine the commercialization potential of new technologies. Since my current job requires me to give feedback to small business grant applicants and educate them on how to put together a strong proposal, I have learned to apply these same critical skills in my new job.
“I am not exaggerating when I say that being an OTC Fellow was a critical experience that helped me get where I am today. I highly recommend that any STEM students and postdocs who want to broaden their transferable skills and learn more about how research is commercialized apply for this program.” -- Stephanie Davis
