BioE Alumni Spotlight: Julianne Kerwood '17
Name:
Julianne Kerwood
Where are you from/where is your hometown?
Norristown, PA
Where do you currently live and work? What is your current company, job title, and job description?
Live in the Greater Philadelphia region, working at Merck at the West Point, PA site as a Senior Scientist, Engineering in Bioprocess Drug Substance Commercialization - Bioprocess Separations Sciences. Work involves executing lab studies in support of clinical trial manufacturing and late stage process development, and also supporting related tech transfer activities to the final manufacturing sites.
What degree(s) did you get from Lehigh BioE, and what year(s) did you graduate?
BS Bioengineering (Biopharm concentration) 2017
What other degrees do you have, from what institutions, and what year(s) did you graduate?
Currently pursuing MS in Biochemical Engineering at Villanova - expected graduation in 2025
Thinking back, why did you choose to come to Lehigh University? What is a favorite memory surrounding Lehigh University in general and being on campus?
I chose Lehigh because of its renowned engineering college and the availability of research opportunities for undergraduates. Lehigh also was a sweet spot concerning size, where I didn’t feel lost in a huge student body but big enough to provide lots of resources and activities. One of my favorite memories of being on campus is hosting a radio show on WLVR 91.3 with friends and having listeners call in to chat about music. Definitely a unique experience being able to broadcast over FM radio!
Thinking back to when you decided to pursue bioengineering, why did you choose this major? How has studying bioengineering served you in your career?
I chose bioengineering because I was very interested in biotechnology and genetic engineering coming into college, and found the biopharm concentration track to be the best fit for my academic and career goals. I think the biopharm curriculum has set me up well for my career in vaccine manufacturing and process development, and the lab skills I gained doing undergrad research directly translated to my work in the industry lab space.
Share a good memory from your time in Lehigh BioE (can be with a faculty/staff member/peers/or class):
I really enjoyed my time doing research over the summer before my junior year with Dr. Bryan Berger, who’s now at UVA, and Dr. Steven McIntosh and had a lot of fun with the ChemE undergrads and PhD students in the lab - it was a really cool overlap of BioE, ChemE, and MatSci with recombinant protein production and quantum dot synthesis. Another great memory was getting nominated by Professor Herz to be one of the BioE Rossin Junior Fellows and represent the department and engineering college to the rest of Lehigh, the local community, and prospective students.
Share your career/life path with us! Since graduating from Lehigh BioE, what have you been up to? What are some personal and professional accomplishments, successes, and wins from your life?
Since graduating from Lehigh, I’ve been working at Merck where I’ve been able to get promoted twice and do a lateral move to continue my career development. I’ve taken on additional roles as the point of contact/lead for Merck’s university recruiting at Lehigh and co-lead for US Talent Recruitment in Merck’s Society of Women Engineers steering committee at SWE’s annual conference. I was also able to go to the US Capitol through SWE at Merck in 2023 as part of SWE’s annual Congressional Outreach event and meet with congressional staffers and even some members of Congress!
Outside of work, I’ve gotten involved with the SWE Philadelphia professional section, serving as the Recording Secretary for FY24 and the newly elected President for FY25. I am currently pursuing my masters in biochemical engineering part time at Villanova and should be graduating in 2025, so looking forward to that! I also recently got married in May of this year! My now husband and I adopted a bonded pair of sibling kittens during the pandemic and they’ve just turned 4 and are having a great time in our house, which we bought in 2021. Other accomplishments include co-presenting a research poster at the 2024 Gordon Research Conference for Biotherapeutics and Vaccines Development and running a few half marathons - hoping to train for a full marathon soon!
Share a fun fact (or two, or three) about yourself!
I have a 850+ day streak on Duolingo for Russian
What words of wisdom do you have for current or future students of bioengineering at Lehigh?
Definitely recommend getting hands on research experience if possible - gives you hands on lab skills for further academic pursuits or industry and it helps develop your critical thinking and experimental design skills. Also it gives you the opportunity to develop a closer professional connection with a professor, which is always a great thing!
If you are an alumni of Lehigh's Bioengineering department and are interested in being spotlighted, please reach out to our graduate coordinator: Rebekah Short, rjs323@lehigh.edu.