The AI landscape is at a pivotal crossroads. With the recent developments surrounding DeepSeek and other cutting-edge models, the industry is asking a fundamental question: Will the future of AI continue to be defined by ever-larger language models, increased GPU demand, and massive data centers — or are we on the brink of a new era focused on smarter, more efficient approaches?

Join us for a timely and thought-provoking virtual panel where leading voices in AI research, infrastructure, and innovation will weigh in on:

• The implications of DeepSeek’s advancements and similar large-scale models
• Whether model performance gains still justify exponential scaling
• The potential of smaller, more specialized models and efficient architectures
• The energy, hardware, and environmental considerations shaping AI's trajectory

This event is designed for life science business executives, researchers, and pharma professionals seeking clarity on what’s next for AI at scale — and whether the future will be built on more, or simply better.

Disclaimer: This event may be recorded, and your image and/or voice may be included in that recording. If you are uncomfortable, please be sure to turn off your webcam.  

Speaker Bios

Sami Bahmanyar, Vice President, Computational Sciences at Interdict Bio

Sami has over 20 years of experience in drug discovery, working across a wide range of therapeutic areas and modalities. In previous roles at Pfizer, Celgene, and Takeda, she gained extensive experience applying state-of-the-art computational approaches to enable projects ranging from target selection, lead identification and optimization, and clinical candidate nomination. At Interdict Bio as Vice President of Computational Sciences, she is leading the design and implementation of a multidisciplinary computational platform, fueling the discovery of interdictors to drug historically undruggable targets. Sami obtained her PhD in organic chemistry from UCLA under the guidance of Professor Ken Houk.

Michelle Chen, Chief Business Officer at Insilico Medicine

Michelle is the Chief Business Officer at Insilico Medicine, a leader in the AI-powered drug discovery and development field. She is responsible for the company’s strategies, corporate development, global business development, and the US operations. As a biotech executive, Michelle brings in 25 years of experience in biopharma and technology industries, having worked at multinational companies such as Roche, Merck, BioMarin, and Agilent, as well as small biotech companies. She has a strong track record of success in company building, M&A, BD&L, investment, marketing, and R&D. She was recently named as one of the Top 25 Biotech Executives of 2024. Michelle has a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Washington, did her postdoctoral work at UCSF, and received bioinformatics training at Stanford.

Margo Georgiadis, Co-Founder and CEO of Montai Therapeutics

Margo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Montai Therapeutics is a breakthrough AI small molecule platform combating chronic diseases with human Anthromolecule medicines to improve health outcomes for as many people as possible

Kamayani Gupta, Co-Founder of KAMI Think Tank, Moderator

Kamayani is the co-founder of KAMI Think Tank, an AI research organization in the healthcare life sciences. She has been in the life sciences area for the past 14 years and uses data-centric approaches to optimize complex business processes. Over the past decade, she has enjoyed working with new technologies to reduce redundant workflows and biases in the drug discovery to commercialization pipeline. She was one of the first members of Watson for Drug Discovery and the former Head of HCLS R&D at Slalom.

Stephanie Oestreich, Managing Director of the Myeloma Investment Fund, Moderator

Stephanie is Managing Director of the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) and is the chair of the McCloy Alumni Association. She is also on the faculty of MIT, a member of SpringBoard Ventures, an advisor at grIP Venture Studio, to Biognosys (a Bruker company), Invitris, CART company CelineTx and to the drug development and investment company OrangeGrove Bio. Previously she was Chief Business Officer at Galecto, Vice President at cell therapy company Mnemo Therapeutics, a Venture Partner at RA Capital and Executive Vice President at Evotec where she built its North American investment arm and started an incubator with Samsara BioCapital. She also worked as International Business Leader at F. Roche Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and for Novartis in Business Development and in Commercial. Stephanie conducted the research for her PhD in biochemistry in the lab of a Nobel Prize winner at Harvard Medical School and obtained an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Catherine Pearce, DHSc, MBA, CEO of JucaBio

Dr. Pearce serves as the CEO of JucaBio, LLC, where she continues to champion her unique model of revitalizing dormant assets, fostering a new wave of biotech ventures. Currently, she is leading 3 JucaBio portfolio companies, including AllRock Bio, which has a first-in-class therapeutic for pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung diseases in Phase 2. In 1997, Dr. Pearce began her career at Hoffman-LaRoche, followed by significant roles at Merck, where she spearheaded the launch of innovative therapeutics in cardiovascular medicine. Her tenure at Medpace, Inc. from 2001 saw her ascend as a Clinical Project Manager overseeing numerous global Phase 1-4 studies across diverse therapeutic domains, including neurology, diabetes, and kidney diseases. In 2007, Dr. Pearce embarked on establishing Medpace's inaugural business development and marketing teams, a pivotal initiative that underscored her strategic vision. Transitioning to Teva in 2013 as VP of R&D, she led a pioneering division focused on repurposing generics. Dr. Pearce's entrepreneurial spirit led her to co-found CinRx in 2015, a biotech incubator dedicated to revitalizing early-stage assets from pharmaceuticals, biotechs, and academia. Under her leadership, CinRx flourished, nurturing six innovative portfolio companies spanning oncology, obesity, and hypertension. Notably, as COO and co-founder of CinCor, Dr. Pearce orchestrated the company's growth trajectory, culminating in a successful IPO in 2022. Her stewardship was instrumental in the acquisition of CinCor by AstraZeneca in 2023, a landmark transaction valued at up to $1.8 billion. Beyond her executive roles, she serves on several private biotech boards, advises numerous startups, and holds a distinguished position as a Board of Trustee Member at Xavier University, where she earned both her undergraduate degree and MBA. Dr. Pearce earned her Doctorate in Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University, underscoring her commitment to advancing healthcare innovation through strategic leadership and entrepreneurial acumen.

Claire Smith, Partner at SpringTide Ventures

Claire is a partner at SpringTide and has spent her career focused at the intersection of healthcare, life sciences, and business. Prior to SpringTide, she was an investor at Meridian Street Capital, where she focused on seed-stage health tech, and Anterra Capital, where she focused on the intersection of biotech and agriculture while launching several animal health startups. Previously, she served as the Chief of Staff at Crestovo, a microbiome therapeutics startup acquired by Finch Therapeutics. She began her career at ClearView Healthcare Partners, a boutique life sciences consultancy, where she advised pharma and biotech clients on a variety of growth strategy topics. Claire holds bachelor’s degrees in biological engineering and management science from MIT. She is on the board of Leash Labs and serves as a board observer at IgniteData and Paterna Biosciences.

Pricing Information

• Members/Guests: Free
• Non-Members*: $10

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