Exploring Careers in Industry

Interested in pursuing a career beyond academia? Join the UHN Office of Research Trainees for an engaging virtual panel exploring different career pathways in industry.

On June 17, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM, the panel will feature professionals who have successfully transitioned into industry roles, sharing insights into their career journeys, current positions, and the skills that supported their transitions. Attendees will have the opportunity to discover a range of career options, including communications, sales, research, and more.

Meet the panel:

• Dr. Danielle Spice, PhD – Lead Scientist, Apiary Therapeutics
• Dr. Tyler Saumur, MSc, PhD – Senior Research Scientist, PointClickCare Life Sciences and KITE alum
• Dr. Joanna Boruc, PhD – Digital Science & Automation Solutions Sales Representative, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Through this panel, trainees and postdoctoral researchers will gain valuable perspectives on what it’s like to work in industry, learn how to transition from academia, and identify opportunities that align with their interests and goals.

The session will conclude with a live Q&A, offering the opportunity to connect directly with panelists and ask questions. This event is free and open to everyone. Register now!

Danielle Spice, PhD – Lead Scientist, Apiary Therapeutics

• Dr. Danielle Spice is a Lead Scientist at Toronto-based biotech start up, Apiary Therapeutics, driving the company’s genetic engineering and stem cell pipelines. Dr. Spice earned her PhD from Western University, where she studied cell fate choices in early neural differentiation before joining SickKids Hospital for a short post-doc studying the role of mitochondrial disease in kidney development. During her spare time, Dr. Spice runs an educational social media platform @sciencewithspice to bring her love of science to everyday people and recently launched her podcast Science with Spice: Between Experiments. Dr. Spice is passionate about all things stem cells, genetic engineering, biotech and science communication and aligns her professional and personal time to the advancement of science. Outside of her science life, Dr. Spice coaches rugby, stays active, reads and spends time with her two Golden Retrievers.

Tyler Saumur, MSc, PhD – Senior Research Scientist, PointClickCare Life Sciences & KITE Alum

• Tyler completed his MSc and PhD at KITE, where he focused on studying the relationship between reactive balance control and muscle function, and the impact of various diseases on this relationship. After graduation, Tyler spent 4 years at Everest Clinical Research, a contract research organization that provides a wide range of services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies involved in clinical trials. As part of the medical writing team, Tyler was responsible for the supervision of junior team members and writing and facilitating the submission of numerous regulatory documents, including clinical study reports, protocols, investigator’s brochures, and informed consent forms. Tyler currently works as a new role as a Senior Research Scientist at PointClickCare – LifeSciences. In his role at PCC, he leads real-world evidence studies in long-term care settings leveraging PCC’s electronic health record database of over 18 million long-term care residents. He further manages publication pipelines and contributes as an author and collaborator on scientific communications.

Joanna Boruc, PhD – Digital Science and Automation Solutions Sales Representative, Thermo Fisher Scientific

• I started my career at the bench, completing my PhD in Biotechnology at Ghent University and going on to postdoctoral research at The Ohio State University and VIB/Ghent University, where I worked in cell and molecular biology and mentored trainees. Over time, I realized I was drawn not just to the science itself, but to how it moves from research into real-world impact. That led me to transition out of academia and into industry, starting in science communication at VIB and then moving into commercial roles in the life sciences sector across Europe and North America. Today, I’m a Digital Science and Lab Automation Sales Specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific. I work closely with scientists, IT, and quality teams to implement solutions like LIMS and ELNs that help labs manage data, improve compliance, and scale their work. Across my career, I’ve focused on building partnerships, understanding complex scientific needs, and helping organizations find the right solutions. I’m passionate about helping trainees and postdocs explore career paths beyond academia and showing how a scientific background can open doors in many different directions.