Mentorship and Support from the MBP ABS

Aiwa Zhang (MBP '25) still remembers the support she felt early in her time in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Biotechnology Program (MBP).

Zhang arrived at Northwestern with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Tufts University. She spent three months as a graduate research assistant at the Tufts Medical Center before moving to Evanston, where she quickly had to adjust to a new environment as she began her graduate studies.

That transition became easier thanks to her MBP mentor.

"Their continued communication provided a sense of reassurance, making me feel like I had someone to turn to whenever I felt uncertain," Zhang said. "This support greatly contributed to my ability to make more informed decisions while navigating the program and life outside of it."

Kevin Baek (MBP '26) agreed.

"It was a good way of forming good connections and it helped a lot with adjusting to the new environment," he said. "It was also a relief to know that there are people that I can rely on when things get tough academically."

The mentorship program was created by the MBP Association of Biotechnology Students (ABS) as a way to help new students adapt to the program. Incoming students are paired with a current MBP student who can be a resource about the program, the city, or the larger biotechnology community.

"I can't stress enough how crucial mentorship is for everyone in our program," said Keerthana Muralisekar (MBP '26), a member of the ABS executive board. "The combination of peer mentorship, faculty advising, and professional development services ensures that we're never short on resources or support, guiding us to make well-informed decisions about our academic and professional journeys."

The ABS executive board acts as a liaison between students, faculty, and administration. Board members help facilitate communication and collaboration opportunities for program-wide events as well as academic support.

The goal for the board is to enhance the student experience by fostering a supportive and well-connected academic environment, said Dhinal Thakker (MBP '26), another ABS board member.

"As peers, we are able to understand the problems of students a little better and can observe more closely, which can directly be translated into creating a more close-knit, supportive community," she said.

That community extends beyond one-to-one mentorship opportunities. The ABS also coordinates with faculty and program leaders and administrators to organize alumni events, social gatherings, and site visits.

The ABS was involved with organizing the MBP Biotech Nexus event in April, and March site visits to biotechnology companies in San Francisco. Those site visits included behind-the-scenes looks at biotech pioneer Genentech, vaccine innovation company Vaxcyte, and synthetic biology and renewable chemical company Amyris.

"We plan on scheduling more site visits," said Baek, also an ABS executive board member. "I think that all of us can benefit from learning more about how different biotech companies thrive in the real world."

That initiative is another sign of the support Zhang felt when she started MBP. She joined the ABS to help new students the way she was helped when she began the program.

She's honored to provide the assistance, and she's excited to continue helping the program and its students moving forward.

"Our short-term goals as board members are to address the current concerns of our cohort and provide support while planning community events to strengthen our connections," Zhang said. "In the long term, we aim to maintain strong connections despite being geographically dispersed due to internships and research activities. The ABS platform will serve as an excellent medium for gathering and exchanging information that benefits our peers, fostering collaboration and mutual support."