WIB-Seattle Leadership Spotlight: Ellie Juarez

Ellie Juarez
Market Segment Manager, Oncology at Oxford Nanopore Technologies
WIB-Seattle Communications Vice Chair

Ellie’s passion for life sciences started when she was young. “I always had a really inquisitive mind. I’m sure I drove my parents nuts, always asking, ‘Why?’ My dad did such a good job of fostering that curiosity in me, though. We’d watch VHS tapes on how the brain works,” she said. Originally, Ellie intended to become a medical doctor. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning her bachelor’s in molecular biology and exploring her interests through laboratory positions. “I had an immunology professor during undergrad who mentioned a paid position in his laboratory, so I went for that. I realized that I really liked the lab work. Later, I also did an internship in behavioral neuroscience, which turns out was not for me,” Ellie said. “The next summer, I did an oncology internship at Johns Hopkins and loved it—I was hooked!”

After earning her undergraduate degree, Ellie completed her PhD in molecular and medical genetics at Oregon Health & Science University. There, she focused on research related to DNA repair-deficient disorders that lead to a cancer predisposition. Ellie also did a postdoc with Dr. Andrew Adey focused on single-cell pancreatic cancer research before she transitioned to working in the biotech industry. “My first job in the industry was a scientific role at Twist Biosciences in San Diego, as an application bioinformatic scientist. Very quickly, I transitioned to more of a market development role, and I have continued that trajectory from the bench to more commercial roles,” she said. “I came to Seattle to be the Director of NGS Applications at Twinstrand Biosciences, and then I worked at IDT as the manager of the product management team.”

Currently, Ellie works at the England-based sequencing genomics company Oxford Nanopore Technologies. “I get to talk to scientists all over the world who are trying to find innovative solutions for better diagnoses, improved therapy selection, and someday novel treatments. Often, I can help customers to leverage our technology to assist and enable their cutting-edge research,” she said. “It’s a revolving door of really complex Rubik’s cubes. It’s cool to meet with researchers who are building cutting-edge assays and tools for improved cancer outcomes.” Throughout her career so far, Ellie has learned to adapt her leadership style based on the ever-changing demands of the biotech industry. “When I was transitioning to become a manager for my first team, I asked my manager at the time what his managing philosophy was. What he said stuck with me: ‘I think about all the bosses I’ve had in my life, all the good and bad things. I try to grab the good things and stay conscious of the bad, so I don’t propagate those behaviors,’” she recalled. “My management style has evolved over time to a more mentorship-based style because that’s what has resonated the most with me. I try to tailor my management style to the people I hire. I think of it as if I’m Swiss cheese, so I try to hire people who make up for my deficiencies with their knowledge and bring new different personality traits.”

Throughout her time working at biotech startups in Seattle, Ellie has worked with a number of women who were involved with the Seattle chapter of WIB. “I started getting invited to events, and some of those women who I worked with were involved in different WIB committees,” she said. “I wanted to increase my community in the Seattle area in my field. I have a good network globally, but I didn’t feel that I had as many connections in Seattle. It’s so important to leverage this community of women scientists. There aren’t a lot of us in the industry at large! Attending networking events is great, because you never know when you’ll find a really interesting personal or professional connection.”

The mission of WIB resonated with Ellie, which motivated her to join the board. Beyond just attending networking events, WIB provides an opportunity to empower women to strive in their careers. “I think representation at the leadership level across the industry makes this field challenging. Having to often juggle time for your family while still needing to be 100% at your job is an unbelievably difficult thing,” Ellie said. “But here’s my advice: Be confident in what you bring to the table, even if often you’re the only woman at the table. You didn’t get there by accident—lean into it.”

We are so grateful that Ellie brings her passion and expertise to our chapter! Her constant encouragement and warm leadership style are huge assets to the Communications Team, and we are so excited to have her continue to help us grow our chapter’s presence in the Seattle life sciences scene.

Submitted by Mariana Huben