Bioscience businesses looking to recruit skilled employees are invited to a presentation by Robert Steininger, a leading expert in the field, says Innovation and Advanced Learning Minister Allan Campbell.
“I am pleased that Robert Steininger is coming to Prince Edward Island to share his experiences and insights on promoting outreach programs in the biosciences sector,” said Mr. Campbell. “Engaging youth to enter our strategic sectors is a priority of this government. Mr. Steininger’s presentation will focus on outreach programs throughout North America and how they have impacted recruitment into the bioscience sector.”
Robert Steininger has worked in research, development and manufacturing in the biopharmaceuticals industry for the past 26 years. Before entering his current role as Senior Vice President with Acceleron Pharma in 2007, Mr. Steininger held the position of VP within Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Director with the Genetics Institute (now Wyeth Pharmaceuticals).
Throughout his career, Mr. Steininger has taken an active role in promoting educational outreach programs within the bioscience sector. He is an advisory board member for the University of Massachusetts and the Reconnaissance, Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition program at Cambridge High School.
The presentation is being hosted by the Centre for Health and Biotech Management Research (CHBMR) at the University of Prince Edward Island with support from the Premier’s Innovation Speaker Series. The series supports local leaders that have identified world-class experts to deliver public lectures, give seminar presentations and participate in roundtable or panel discussions on Prince Edward Island. Dr. Juergen Krause, Director of the CHBMR, is responsible for the organization of the event at the NRC – Institute for Nutrisciences and Health.
“The greatest challenge facing Atlantic Canadian biotechnology companies in the next three to five years is the shortage in skilled and experienced workers,” says Dr. Krause. “It is important for Prince Edward Island to learn from the success of other programs to develop, attract and retain high quality personnel.”
The event will consist of a presentation, question period, and networking luncheon beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31 in the Regis & Joan Duffy Science Centre (NRC-INH) on the UPEI campus. There is no registration fee but anyone wishing to attend must RSVP to the Centre for Health and Biotech Management Research.
For more information or to register visit www.chbmr.ca.
Backgrounder
Robert Steininger has expressed his interest in helping Prince Edward Island build connections in bioscience and biopharmaceuticals and share his experiences with educational outreach programs. Mr. Steininger earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) followed by a Master’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Steininger joined Acceleron Pharma in March 2007 as Senior Vice President of Manufacturing. Previous to this appointment, Mr. Steininger was the Vice President of Process Sciences at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and also served as VP with Millennium’s Product and Portfolio Management organization.
As part of his work in educational outreach, Mr. Steininger is a member of the advisory board for the Massachusetts chapter of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and the RISTA program (Reconnaissance, Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition) at the Cambridge High School.
The Premier’s Innovative Speakers Series features prominent and dynamic experts to advance public knowledge in the priority sectors of the provincial government’s economic strategy: bioscience (including agriculture and fisheries), aerospace, renewable energy, and information technology. Local leaders from across Prince Edward Island are responsible for inviting experts and organizing all arrangements pertaining to their visits.