Leila Jaafar, CEO at Nuclidium - from PhD to Radiotherapy CEO

In this episode, I talked with Dr. Leila Jaffar, CEO of Nuclidium, where she shares her journey from a childhood influenced by her father's passion for science to becoming a leader in the biotech industry. She discusses the challenges she faced during her career, including personal and professional, and her transition from academia to industry. Leila elaborates on the mission of Nuclidium, focusing on the development of copper-based diagnostics and therapeutics for oncology. She also emphasizes the importance of company culture, the impact of every team member, and the lessons learned in leadership and hiring. Here's what you're in:What is the goal with Nuclidium? How can networking becomes crucial for career advancement?Why did you decide to go down the founder route? Timestamps:02:08 Journey into Life Sciences04:26 Dealing With Career's Lowest Point09:31 Getting A Job After Finishing PhD11:09 Founding of her Own Company14:37 Nuclidium and What Sets It Apart21:55 Why Join Nuclidium - What is its Culture?24:22 Lessons Learned Through Hiring and Managing People27:38 Quickfire QuestionsAbout LeilaDr. Leila Jaafar, CEO of Nuclidium, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical working on copper-based diagnostics and therapeutics. Dr. Leila is also the co-founder of LinaThera, which is partnered with Nuclidium and focuses on the production of medical radionuclides. Prior to joining Nuclidium, she was the CEO of Swiss Nuclides for 5 years and Program Manager at Areva for 6 years. Outside of her professional role, she plays the violin and loves to read in her free time.Connect with LeilaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-jaafar-605642130/ Company Website: https://nuclidium.com/ About MeMy name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.In 2023, I decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.Connect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/Website: https://www.discera-search.com/Opinions and comments expressed by the guest do not represent the company and are fully their own.