s4 Ep 8 Mori Mohseni Head of Biology at Vida Vinci

In this episode of She Leads Biotech, I sit down with Mori Mohseni, Head of Biology at VidaVinci, for a powerful conversation about persistence, purpose, and what it really takes to lead in drug discovery.From her early fascination with biology to pivotal roles at AstraZeneca, Novartis, BMS, and now startup biotech, Mori’s career has been defined by one recurring theme: give her the hard problem.We talk about what it means to search for truth in science, even when the answer isn’t what you hoped for. We explore the transition from big pharma to biotech to startup life, and why those moves were intentional. And we dive into leadership, team building, and the obsession required to move breakthrough science forward.This is a conversation about loving the work enough to stay with it when it’s difficult, and inspiring others to do the same.📌 Chapters / Timestamps00:00 – Introduction and Mori’s early path into science03:40 – Falling in love with biology and choosing research over medicine08:10 – The leap from academia into industry12:00 – A pivotal lesson: “Look for the truth” in drug discovery15:20 – Seeing a drug go from bench to patient18:45 – Big pharma vs biotech vs startup: what really changes23:15 – Building infrastructure from scratch in smaller companies27:30 – Leading as a servant leader and building strong teams31:40 – Advice for young scientists navigating today’s market35:50 – The future of biotech and the need for early innovation funding40:10 – Leadership in biotech means loving what you do