Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Rebecca Casaubon

Principal Scientist @ EMD Serono

Rebecca has been a leader in several Women in Science groups throughout her career and we are honored to have her now volunteering with Girlstart. She is passionate about supporting girls in STEM and wants to see equal representation at the tables where decisions are being made.

What exactly does a “Principal Scientist” do?

I am a medicinal chemist, designing and synthesizing new chemical compounds that are tested to see if they can become drugs to treat diseases.

What are some of your favorite projects that you have worked on?

Recently I have been working on autoimmune diseases and cancer, but in the past, I have also researched treatments for diabetes, migraine, and neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s.

What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?

Having the tenacity to finish graduate school and earn my PhD even though it took 7 years.

Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?

A few mentors and role models in science inspired me. When I graduated 8th grade, my science teacher shook my hand and told me to promise him that I would get my PhD before my “MRS.” I said I would, though at that time I did not know what a PhD was. In college my research advisor showed me how exciting independent research in chemistry could be. In graduate school, it was my peers who inspired me to keep working to solve difficult problems and showed me that brainstorming together could help us to find solutions more quickly than doing it all alone.