Maddie Blaauw, Jacqueline Williams Named 2025 Genentech-UCSF School of Pharmacy Diversity Fellows

PhD students Maddie Blaauw and Jacqueline Williams have been selected as the 2025 recipients of the Genentech-UCSF School of Pharmacy Diversity Fellowship.

The one-year fellowship will enable the students to gain professional experience in industry, equipping them with new skills in research and collaboration and preparing them for careers in the private sector. The fellowship includes a priority opportunity to apply for a summer research internship in a Genentech laboratory.

“It’s important that we offer our PhD students the opportunity to gain the skills, experience and confidence to become leaders in the field,” said Ryan Hernandez, PhD, fellowship director and professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences. “And we should make these experiences available to students from diverse backgrounds who can bring their unique perspectives to the table in addressing our most pressing health problems.”

Blaauw is pursuing her doctorate in the Bioengineering Program, and Williams is studying in the Biological and Medical Informatics Program. Each student was nominated for the fellowship by their faculty advisor.

Blaauw combines a love of bioengineering, problem solving and creativity

Blaauw initially planned to pursue a job in industry immediately after earning her bachelor’s degree in bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Then an opportunity to shadow a graduate student opened her eyes to additional skills she could gain in graduate school.

Now a third-year PhD student in the lab of Sophie Dumont, PhD, professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Blaauw is part of a team that aims to understand how cells coordinate mechanical and chemical activities to accurately segregate chromosomes during cell division. The lab also seeks to uncover what is needed for accurate chromosome segregation to address cancer and other diseases. Working in Dumont Lab enables Blaauw to combine her bioengineering expertise with her love of problem-solving and creativity on a daily basis, she said.

Blaauw said she feels a mix of excitement and intimidation about becoming a fellow at a biotechnology company of Genentech’s caliber, but she looks forward to experiencing life in an industry setting.

“With industry, there’s such a dynamic range of problems on the table that are constantly changing that people are trying to solve,” Blaauw said. “There’s also a much different time range to solve these problems than in academia and other spaces. You have an ability to build really exciting teams to solve those problems, whereas in academia, teams can be limited in size because of funding.”

After the fellowship, she plans to apply for a summer research internship at Genentech and begin building her industry career as a scientist.

“As a student with epilepsy, I hope to work towards creating a scientific space that has more inclusion of scientists with disabilities,” Blaauw said.

Williams harnesses genetics in the battle against multiple sclerosis

Williams traces her introduction to the field of genetics to her high school advanced placement biology courses, where she began delving into the world of gene expression and regulation.

That fascination solidified as she earned her bachelor’s degree in human biology at UCLA, while volunteering with the Youth Empowerment Program that pairs underprivileged elementary school children with college mentors. She earned her master’s degree at Keck Graduate Institute where she studied genetics and genomic data analytics. Her master’s thesis on developing a computation tool to analyze diagnostic exome sequencing data for rare eye diseases in underrepresented communities earned her the Capstone Award in her graduate program.

Williams followed that research passion to UCSF where she is a PhD student in the lab of Jill Hollenbach, PhD, MPH, professor in the Department of Neurology and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. The lab studies immunogenetics and genetic diversity in natural killer cell receptors associated with multiple sclerosis (MS).

What excites Williams most about the Genentech-UCSF School of Pharmacy Diversity Fellowship is being part of a company with a robust portfolio of multiple sclerosis research.

“I’m really interested in the kind of research they are doing and how companies like Genentech apply that knowledge to help patients directly,” Williams said. “I look forward to learning how my research interests fit into the bigger picture of MS research and, ultimately, to improving the lives of individuals with autoimmune disorders.”

She is also looking forward to networking with like-minded individuals and building the skills needed for her future career.

“The experience will be a good gauge of what’s needed to succeed in industry,” Williams said. “It will tell me about my strengths and weaknesses, so that I can improve on them.”