Biotechnology Archives - Northeastern University College of Science

For Andrea Bedoni, a Master of Science in Biotechnology graduate, being selected as the student speaker for the 2026 College of Science Graduate Celebration is both an honor and a responsibility.

“To be selected as the student speaker for my graduation is an immense honor,” Bedoni says. “It means having the opportunity to share what my time at Northeastern truly looked like: the pivots, the growth, and the moments of doubt that quietly became moments of clarity.”

As she prepares to take the stage, Bedoni reflects on a journey shaped not by a single path, but by the willingness to embrace change and uncertainty.

Leaning Into the Unconventional

During her time at Northeastern, Bedoni learned to embrace what set her apart.

“There is something unconventional about being a biotechnology student who wants to work in consulting,” she explains. “It raises eyebrows and invites questions. Early on, it also invited self-doubt.”

Over time, that uncertainty became a source of confidence.

“The more I leaned into what made my path unconventional, the more I realized that was exactly my advantage,” she says. “I stopped trying to fit the mold and started building my own.”

She credits this shift as one of the most important outcomes of her graduate experience, gaining not only technical skills but the confidence to use them on her own terms.

Creating Community with Intention

Beyond academics, Bedoni is most proud of the communities she helped build.

“Belonging is not passive,” she says. “It is something you create, intentionally, for yourself and for others.”

From founding a Women Entrepreneurship Chapter (WE x Northeastern) to contributing to Graduate Student Government and participating in Girls Into VC, an organization that empowers women to explore and excel in venture capital, she focused on creating spaces where others could connect and grow.

“The right community does not just support your growth,” she adds. “It accelerates it.”

Growth Through Challenge

Some of Bedoni’s most defining moments came from being pushed outside her comfort zone, particularly in the classroom.

One experience that stands out is Big Data for Cities with Professor Dan O’Brien.

“I walked into that class with no background in R (a programming language for statistical computing and data visualization) and walked out having coded my way through nearly 200,000 data entries,” she says.

What made the course especially impactful was the clarity of expectations.

“There was no ambiguity, just a clear and consistent push to become a better, more technical version of myself,” she explains. “That class taught me that being challenged is not something to avoid. It is exactly where growth happens.”

Moments That Mattered

Some of Bedoni’s most meaningful memories came from experiences beyond the classroom.

She recalls organizing an event with Girls Into VC to highlight women making an impact in the corporate world.

“What made it special was everything that went into it, the late nights, the cold emails, and the uncertainty of not knowing if it would come together,” she says.

When it did, nearly 70 students attended.

“Standing in that room, I realized the work I was doing here was not staying inside the classroom. It was reaching people, creating space, and building something that mattered.”

Stepping Into What’s Next

As graduation approaches, Bedoni reflects on what she will miss most.

“The people,” she says. “My professors, my friends, and everyone I had the privilege of collaborating with.”

She credits the Northeastern community not only for its ambition, but for its willingness to support one another.

After graduation, Bedoni will join McKinsey & Company in Mexico City, where she plans to explore work in renewable energy and the intersection of biotechnology and healthcare.

Looking back, her advice is simple.

“Stay a student,” she says. “Walk into your master’s program with openness. The people you learn from outside the classroom will shape who you become.”

When Jonathan Kibirige moved to Andover, Massachusetts, from Uganda in March, he wanted a change from working in shipping logistics.

Through connections in the biotech industry and the power of LinkedIn, the 34-year-old found the Pathmaker program, a training program offered through Northeastern University and funded by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center that helps people obtain the experience needed to pursue entry-level jobs in the state’s life sciences industry.

Pathmaker programs train people in the skills they’ll need to work in a lab in Massachusetts’ life sciences industry, whether it’s biomanufacturing, basic lab practices or the skills needed to work in cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

“I have a love for science and I felt this was going to be a game-changer for me to grow and also make an impact on people’s lives, especially in the health sector,” Kirbirige said.

Read more at Northeastern Global News

Photo by Matthew Modoono

Dr. Mak Saito, Woods Hole presents a seminar entitled "Uncovering the Dynamic Role of the Metalloproteome within Marine Microbes and Human Pathogens"

https://www.whoi.edu/profile/msaito/

Dr. Melissa Caimano, UConn School of Medicine presents a seminar entitled "A Tale of Two Networks: How Lyme disease spirochetes navigate their way through the enzootic cycle "

https://health.uconn.edu/spirochete-lab/radolf-and-caimano-laboratory/research/

Dr. Klaas Van Wijk, Cornell University presents a seminar entitled "Control of chloroplast protein homeostasis by intra-organellar proteases in plants"

https://cals.cornell.edu/people/klaas-van-wijk

Dr. Chris Sassetti, UMass Chan School of Medicine presents a seminar entitled "Cryptic Variation in the M. tuberculosis genome impacts pathogenesis and treatment"

https://www.umassmed.edu/sassettilab/

Children and bacteria –– normally they’re a parental nightmare, a cocktail of late-night pediatrician calls and ruined weekends.

The idea of a toy filled with bacteria probably sounds like a recipe for disaster. This team of designers says otherwise.

Meet SquidKid, a prototype toy designed by Northeastern University students that is, essentially, an organic Tamagotchi. Children take care of the bioluminescent bacterial culture in this squid-shaped toy, keeping it alive and glowing. The hope for SquidKid, which earned a finalist spot in the international Biodesign Challenge, is to create not only a lasting friend but a lasting connection between children and the natural world.

“Our real goal was to create a bioreactor that would be ongoing, so you would keep a bacterial culture alive for an extended period of time like you would keep a fish tank or something,” says Deirdre Ni Chonaill, an experience design master’s student and associate director of creative and experience design at Northeastern’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences. “Kids don’t always treat their toys very well. With Tamagotchi, there are times where if you ignored it, it died. In this case, you’re actually killing something.”

Children must maintain the bacteria housed in SquidKid, providing oxygen, the right “broth,” or food, and consistent agitation. The toy is even designed with a squeezable tentacle that injects oxygen into the system and moves the bacteria, prompting them to glow.

SquidKid began life in the classroom. The team of students designed it as part of their Critical Making for Adaptive Futures class taught by Katia Zolotovsky, an assistant professor of design and biotechnology.