Po-Jen Yen

Po-Jen (Will) Yen began their work experience in 2000 as an intern at National Taiwan University. Po-Jen (Will) then worked as a summer intern at the National Health Research Institute where they collaborated with a group of researchers on a project. In 2004, they became a research assistant at Academia Sinica, where they focused on demonstrating the immuno-modulation activity of medicinal herbs on dendritic cells. Po-Jen (Will) continued this role until 2005 when they became an honorary associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In 2005, Yen returned to Academia Sinica as a research assistant, working on the effects of Echinacea on dendritic cells using genomics and proteomics. Po-Jen (Will) then transitioned to a research volunteer position at the University of Pennsylvania, where they demonstrated the effects of dileucine and tyrosine-based trafficking signals on cellular distribution and colocalization of HIV/SIV Env and Gag proteins. Po-Jen (Will) also analyzed in vivo adaptive mutations of SIV and the host immune response in an animal model.

Yen then pursued a PhD and became a PhD researcher at Harvard Medical School. Po-Jen (Will)'sdissertation focused on SIV envelope glycoprotein determinants of macrophage tropism and their relationship to neutralization sensitivity and CD4-independent cell-to-cell transmission. Po-Jen (Will) identified novel mechanisms and Env determinants for SIV macrophage tropism and established and optimized cell-based assays for analyzing viral infectivity, neutralization sensitivity, fusion activity, and cell-to-cell transmission.

After completing their PhD, Yen joined Agios Pharmaceuticals as an associate scientist, where they contributed to scientific research. In 2014, they joined Biogen as a Corporate Strategy Postdoctoral Fellow. In this role, they created "Disease Maps" to identify opportunities across the drug development value chain, generated pivotal insights, and conducted due diligence and competitive intelligence analysis.

Yen's most recent position is at Voyager Therapeutics, Inc., where they are the Head of Search, Evaluation & Licensing in the Corporate and Business Development department.

Po-Jen (Will) Yen holds a Bachelor's degree in Zoology from National Taiwan University. Po-Jen (Will) also obtained a Master's degree in Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania. Later, they pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Virology at Harvard Medical School. In addition to their formal education, Yen has obtained several certifications including Advanced Business Development and Business Development Fundamentals from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Po-Jen (Will) also completed courses such as Introduction to Finance: Valuation and Investing - Principles of Valuation: Time Value of Money on Coursera, and a Mini-MBA program offered by the Harvard GSAS Business Club.