Career Trajectories | The Recipe for Continuous Career Growth with Rishi Mahajan, M.S. (Sponsored by Benchling)

You may recognize him from the first episode in our "Lab of the Future" series: Rishi Mahajan, M.S., lead automation engineer at Regeneron, returns to the podcast to share his career story! Rishi shares his unconventional journey, from childhood with no clear career aspirations to becoming a seasoned automation engineer. He highlights his college major selection and how he navigated education challenges in India before pursuing his master's in biotechnology in the United States.He later entered the world of lab research during his master's program, emphasizing the importance of internships and networking. He discusses the hurdles he faced, the role of networking in securing his internship at Regeneron, and the subsequent transition to a full-time position. Enjoy this advice-filled conversation addressing the power of networking, with Rishi providing practical tips for individuals, even introverts, to build meaningful connections. He emphasizes the casual nature of networking, the importance of genuine conversations and dispels the fear of making mistakes when reaching out to seasoned professionals.Full Transcript Available on BuzzsproutOur Sponsor for this EpisodeBenchling creates the software that powers the biotechnology industry. More than 200,000 scientists at over 1,200 companies globally —  from cutting-edge start-ups to 20+ of the 50 largest global biopharma — rely on the Benchling R&D Cloud as their central source of truth for scientific data, analysis, and collaboration. Benchling is on a mission to accelerate scientific progress through advanced software that's purpose-built for biology.To learn more,  visit: Benchling.comStay connected with SLASOnline at www.slas.orgFacebookTwitter @SLAS_OrgLinkedInInstagram @slas_orgYouTubeAbout SLASSLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building. Upcoming Events:SLAS Meet-UpsLeiden, Netherlands (10 September 2026)Tübingen, Germany (20 October 2026)SLAS 2026 Sample Management Symposium (October 21-22, 2026 | South San Francisco, California)SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition (January 30 - February 3, 2027 | San Diego, California)View the full events calendar