PhD Career Stories: Project Management
Join us for our 2025-2026 PhD Career Stories seminar series kickoff on Friday, September 12, at 10:00am, Light Hall 214.
Ashley A. Able, PhD
Scientific Project Manager, Natera
Lakshmi Sundararajan, PhD
Senior Project Manager, Research and Technical Operations, Astellas Gene Therapies
BIOS
Dr. Lakshmi Sundararajan earned her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Kansas and has built her career advancing gene therapy and biotherapeutics. She is currently the Portfolio Strategy Lead at Astellas Gene Therapies, where she drives strategic discussions and resource allocation to support corporate goals.
Previously, she held senior project management roles at CODA Biotherapeutics and Avellino Lab, leading product development and building project management infrastructures. Her academic background includes a B.Tech. in Biotechnology from Anna University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University, where she investigated neurodevelopmental processes. She has also published widely on dendrite morphogenesis and neuronal signaling.