There are so many capable scientists in Australia~ this country has so much potential for a thriving bioeconomy. Dr. Katie Bashant Day wants to make this a reality, as an advocate for scientists interested in entrepreneurship, an adviser for early-stage biotech companies, and a founder herself.

Katie lives in the southern highlands of NSW with her husband and toddler, where she recently founded Media City Scientific. She has established a small cell culture facility where she has used advanced statistical methods alongside wet lab work to develop a method for growing cells without the need for foetal bovine serum (FBS) "“ a blood-based reagent commonly used in academic and industry cell culture. Her alternative is a chemically defined, sustainable, and cost-efficient alternative.

Previously, Katie was the Head of Technology at Sydney-based cultured meat company Vow. Vow scaled from 8 to 80 operators during her tenure and she led a team of 35 scientists and engineers responsible for the technical breakthroughs necessary to launch their first product. Katie completed her PhD in Medicine through an accelerated doctoral program which split time equally at the University of Cambridge and the National Institutes of Health (USA).