DOSTI Brings New England’s Indian Life Sciences Community Together for Career Development and Networking

More than 100 scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and professionals from New England’s Indian-origin biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences community gathered in Andover for a DOSTI networking and career development event.

DOSTI (Diaspora Of ScienTists from India) is a New England-based professional network connecting Indian-origin scientists and professionals across academia, biotechnology, pharmaceutical companies, startups, and healthcare. With more than 600 members across its WhatsApp and LinkedIn communities, DOSTI has become a growing platform for scientific exchange, professional networking, mentorship, career development, and collaboration.

For the past six years, DOSTI has organized networking events bringing together professionals at different stages of their careers. The first such event was pre-COVID days in February 2020. The community includes researchers and leaders from academia, biotechnology, pharmaceutical companies, startups, and healthcare organizations throughout New England.

This year’s event focused on career development, navigating a rapidly changing biotechnology landscape, and creating new professional opportunities.

The program featured insights from three industry leaders:

• Dr. Gopi Shanker, Chief Scientific Officer at Beam Therapeutics, encouraged attendees to “begin with the end in mind”—to define what they want to become and then deliberately build the skills and experiences needed to get there.
• Vijay Kanaparaju, Senior Vice President, Pioneering Medicines at Flagship Pioneering, shared perspectives from his own career journey and emphasized the importance of embracing opportunities, even when they may not perfectly align with one’s existing background. He highlighted how commitment, adaptability, and a willingness to learn can create new possibilities.
• Christopher Clancy, Business Development Manager at The Steely Group, provided an overview of the current biotechnology and pharmaceutical job market, emerging trends, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence on the industry and future careers.

Following the presentations, the forum opened for one-on-one networking. Participants connected with colleagues, exchanged ideas, explored potential collaborations, and shared advice and connections related to career transitions and job searches.

The program opened with an introduction to DOSTI by Ganesh Prasanna, Convenor, followed by speaker introductions by Pramod Pandey, Advisor and Outreach. DOSTI officials Nishanth Gopinathan and Srinivas Sonti also shared practical information and resources relevant to H-1 and H-4 visa holders.

The event also recognized individuals for their contributions and achievements across various fields, with Jaya Goyal presenting the awards to the recipients.

The formal program concluded with a vote of thanks by Jagdish Tewari, President of DOSTI, followed by an informal networking session over refreshments.

The event was sponsored by Aragen Bioscience. DOSTI organization sincerely thanks Aragen for their support.

The strong participation and enthusiastic engagement highlighted the growing value of professional communities that foster connection, mentorship, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among Indian-origin professionals in the life sciences and healthcare sectors.

DOSTI Founding Leadership Team

• Jagdish Tewari — President
• Nishanth Gopinathan — Vice President
• Neelaabh Shankar — General Secretary
• Jaya Goyal — Head, Women in Science
• Dinesh Bangari — Joint Secretary/Treasurer
• Raj Nagaraja — Head, Youth Affairs
• Pramod Pandey — Advisor and Outreach
• Ganesh Prasanna — Convenor

DOSTI looks forward to building on this growing community and organizing more events that bring together scientists, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and young professionals to connect, learn, mentor, and collaborate across New England.