Abbygail Foster, PhD

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

It is important to create a collaborative space in your team, where team members feel comfortable when their ideas are challenged, and they are given the space to constructively challenge ideas as well. This type of open environment promotes diversity of thought, fosters creativity, and leads to more robust solutions.

What do you consider to be your most important career achievement or milestone?

I established our cell therapy drug product team in Pharmaceutical Development at Genentech. This has been a great opportunity to bring a diverse group of experts and young scientists together with shared goals. It has been remarkable to watch our group grow into a high-performing, collaborative team with a genuine drive to develop new medicines and impact patient health.

What do you aspire to accomplish in your career and why? What obstacles will you overcome?

I am excited to continue making new therapies that address unmet needs and make a big impact on patients’ lives. As an immigrant and a first generation college student, I have worked to overcome several hurdles to get where I am today. However, like many other scientists, I often struggle with “impostor syndrome.” Support from my network, especially from mentors who have also worked through similar challenges, continues to be a critical part of overcoming self-doubt. As I move into more mentorship roles, I hope to continue supporting others as they work towards their own goals.

Describe an amazing opportunity in your STEM career.

During my time as a postdoc, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, working closely with scientists, engineers, and medical doctors. This provided an amazing opportunity to build my network in the medical field. I appreciated this unique opportunity to see different perspectives from technical experts in a field outside my own and to learn what matters to them in their efforts to treat patients. This experience helped to refine my approach to developing new therapies and has made me more effective as a scientist.

How has AWIS helped you professionally and/or personally?

AWIS has connected me to an amazing community of women at various points in their STEM journey. I have benefitted from hearing the shared experiences of other women as they navigate their careers. 

What is your favorite word? (only one word)

Curiosity

How do you define it?

For me, curiosity means always taking advantage of opportunities to learn something new. 

How has this word influenced or inspired your career?

I have always been motivated to pursue new ideas, with the goal of learning something that I can apply to my current work. Finding new ways to collaborate and apply ideas from other scientific disciplines has been key to the success of several projects in which I have been involved. I believe that curiosity is a vital part of scientific discovery. Scientists must be willing to challenge themselves and existing knowledge.

How does AWIS impact your career journey?

AWIS provides an opportunity to learn from other experiences and see different paths to success as I develop in my own career.

What are you currently reading or listening to?

I am currently reading Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain.

What do you consider the best professional or personal advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I received early in my career is to take time for self-reflection and clearly identify what drives me. This advice has been critical in helping me to focus on my goals and has directed me to many meaningful opportunities for personal and career growth as I have advanced in my career.

Abbygail Foster, PhD, is a Principal Scientist in the Pharmaceutical Development department at Genentech. She is the Drug Product Team Lead for cell therapy programs in various stages of development. Prior to joining Genentech, she received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware. She then held positions as an NIH postdoctoral fellow and as a Research Scientist in the Department of Materials Science and the Cardiovascular Institute at Stanford University, where she developed injectable materials for cell and gene delivery.