Panel Talk

Khairunnisa Semesta is a Senior Life Sciences Specialist in the Chicago office of L.E.K. Consulting, a global strategy and management consulting firm. In the Life Sciences Biopharma practice at L.E.K., she serves in an advisory role to biopharma companies on a variety of therapeutic areas and projects including commercial opportunity assessment, go-to-market strategy, indication prioritization, revenue forecasting, and others. 

Prior to L.E.K., she served in the Commercial Leadership Insights Program at Amgen, the Product Management team at Enveda Biosciences, and Duke University Office for Translation and Commercialization. She completed concurrent PhD in Pharmacology and MA in Bioethics and Science Policy at Duke University, focusing on discovering novel regulators of G-protein coupled receptor signaling and their physiological relevance in neurobiology. 

Her doctoral research has been recognized by various fellowships and awards, including the American Heart Association and American Association of University Women.

Ifatul Khasanah is a science graduate turned entrepreneur and science communicator, transforming scientific journals into engaging social media content to help parents nurture their children's curiosity.

Currently, she is building an ecosystem of experts, parents, and teachers aimed at providing STEM educational resources for Indonesian children, named MERISTEM. In the past year, she has crafted classes, STEM kits, and children's books.

In its first three months, MERISTEM has empowered over 600 parents and 1,000 teachers to engage with STEM subjects. Moreover, Meristem has reached 2 millions monthly audience on Instagram.

David Virya Chen is a visiting researcher at Osaka University and senior research fellow at PT Genomik Solidaritas Indonesia. His primary research interest lies in the fundamental science of infectious diseases. He believes that foundational scientific research is essential for transforming Indonesia into a developed country. 

Intrigued by the complex interplay between cancer and viruses—and the potential use of viruses in cancer treatment—David decided to advance his studies with a Ph.D. in molecular virology. He completed his Ph.D. during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he gained hands-on experience as a pandemic scientist, contributing to multiple SARS-CoV-2 projects. Later, with support from the Kishimoto Foundation fellowship, he continued his research on the molecular mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 proteins interact with host antibodies.

Alongside his laboratory work, he is an active science communicator and remains curious to explore other scientific fields.