5 Questions With Jason Corbiere, MT (AAB), Business Development Manager, Astrea Bioseperations and Lead for Programs & Events, BioHealth Capital Region, Board of Buzz

October 16, 2023

This article is part of our 5 Questions With series, one of our ongoing People & Places Features. We love it because despite the consistent questioning, the answers are all unique. Be sure to FOLLOW us on LinkedIn to tell us what you think.

1. What did you want to be when you grow up? How’d you get from there to here? 

When I was younger, I believed there was a direct line from school to the career I was meant to pursue for the rest of my life. However, the common refrain that finding the right career can be a winding road ended up being very true for me.

Like most folks in the biotech world, I had a strong interest in biological sciences and technology from an early age. So, throughout my school years, I decided I wanted to explore this interest, firstly by intending to be a doctor, then a teacher, and finally a researcher.

After getting my degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Rutgers University, I worked in research labs for a few years, firstly investigating crystallization properties of E. Coli RNA Polymerase and then the genetic mechanisms of C. Elegans neuronal cell death. It was my intention to continue down the path towards academia.

When the 2008 Financial Crisis hit, I moved to Florida and was unable to find any research labs hiring in my area, so I took a ‘short-term’ job in business development in an unrelated field.

Something completely unexpected happened: I discovered that I loved this new career; it people-centricity, learning details about customer processes, and the compelling nature of finding solutions to real-world problems. I don’t know why I never considered business as an option when thinking about my career, but soon couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Over the next decade, I returned to the lab once for a brief stint when I accepted a role as a founding member of a biotech startup Dynix Diagnostix, but it confirmed what I had learned earlier. I had found my ‘professional home’, and it was the merger of my scientific interests and business acumen. In short order, I moved back into business development for Dynix, once the position was available.

To catch you up to today, six months ago I joined Astrea Bioseparations as a member of their commercial team, helping introduce next-generation adsorbents, columns and column-packing services to Downstream Processing Scientists throughout the bioprocessing industry.

We encourage you to use this as an opportunity to introduce yourself to our audience by looking back at your education, training, and career path.

2.     How are you helping to build a more connected community? 

BioBuzz’s mission is simple: to be more connected. Our regionally-focused storytelling, programs, events and experiences create, connect and amplify impact across the life science workforce in growing biohubs. We vibe with people who value community and connection like us. We’d love for you to share how you’re building a more connected community… and any support that you need from our community to continue to accomplish this mission. 

Certainly, joining BioBuzz as a member of the Board of Buzz is a critical part of my commitment to building a more connected biotech community.

In my free time, I am passionate about mentoring young professionals and helping them upgrade their resumes and interview skills. It is extremely rewarding to enable ambitious young people to explore their career passions and step up into positions of responsibility. There were those who stuck their hands out to me early in my career, and it feels right to pay it forward.

I would love to see a more formal mentoring process within the BioBuzz community, that advises professionals of all ages on how to break into the careers of their dreams.

3.     What are currently buzzing about? Anything and everything…   

At Astrea – What really fascinates me, and honestly what convinced me to join the team, is our novel nanofiber adsorbent platform called AstreAdept. Its structure and increased surface area offer massively increased capacities and flow rates versus other technologies for downstream purification. The first product, called LentiHERO, was released this year and specifically designed to address the purification challenges of Lentivirus. This month at BPI (SHHH) we are releasing more AstreAdept solutions for additional Cell and Gene Therapy modalities. Very excited to share more once they are released!

Elsewhere – AI-enabled Biotech discovery. I have long been convinced that the world’s issues, from health, to energy, to food security, to pollution and more, can be solved by solutions derived from advanced biotech. Until relatively recently, the complexity of biological systems inhibited the development timelines of new pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies. I am very excited to see what will be possible with machine learning, seriously compressing these timelines and decreasing the costs of new discoveries.

Personally – Gardening and cooking! I grew up in a family that owned a small restaurant, where we grew and served fresh produce in the dishes every summer. I recently moved to the suburbs of Raleigh, NC where I have a large backyard, which has enabled me to revisit gardening and cooking in my spare time. There is something immensely satisfying about taking a seed, nurturing it, and ultimately sharing what it produces with family, friends, and neighbors.

From professional projects to personal pursuits and just about everything in between, be authentic and focus on what’s driving and exciting you right now. Feel free to focus on a handful of things in depth or bullet in listicle form. 

4. If you could travel back in time – what early career advice would you give yourself?  

OR what career advice would you shout from the rooftops now? The more the merrier… 

There are three pieces of advice that really stick out to me:

• Accept failure as a prerequisite for success – and don’t take it personally when it happens. If things don’t work out as expected, absorb it as a learning experience and try again.
• Never underestimate the power of people. When you lean into your relationships, amazing things can happen that you wouldn’t have been able to achieve alone.
• Give without expectation of reciprocation. Sharing what you have (time and resources) makes life taste sweeter.

5.     FUN question. What’s your superpower?

My superpower is FLEXIBILITY –  call me Stretch Armstrong!

In all seriousness, I consider it my personal mission to grow, stretch and adapt to the environments I operate in. The rates of change in technology, business and society are only increasing, so being flexible is a critical part of keeping pace and thriving.

Start with a plan – but iterate, pivot and follow your intuition until you get to where you want to be.