From September 8th-11th, Boehringer Ingelheim, USA, gave 10 students the opportunity to network, present their research, and explore real-world applications of their pharmaceutical passions through this immersive R&D experience in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Among the 10 graduate students chosen from six universities across the United States, Ashwin and Nilesh were honored to become part of Boehringer’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders and innovators.
Ashwin is a 3rd– year Ph.D. student in distinguished professor, Diane Burgess’ lab, where he researches the long-acting formulations for improving health, specifically women’s health. Working on projects related to pharmaceutical product development, Ashwin is thankful that UConn has equipped him with the compassion to think beyond the lab in understanding how pharmaceutical sciences affect greater communities.
Similarly, Nilesh is a 5th-year Ph.D. student, working under the same mentorship as Diane Burgess. Focusing on product and analytical development through long-acting parental drug systems in his lab, Nilesh describes his UConn journey as incredible.
“We have an incredible faculty here at UConn: knowledgeable, easy to reach out to, and always ready to teach.” – Nilesh
From working in well-equipped labs with the latest technology to working under the mentorship of leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, Ashwin and Nilesh are grateful for the continued support they have received during their time as Huskies. The School’s infrastructure, combined with its prestige, has allowed Ashwin to work on an FDA-funded project and learn an FDA regulatory point-of-view of the current market.
Inspired by the support they’ve received from the School, Ashwin and Nilesh applied and were accepted to the Boehringer Ingelheim Emerging Scientist Talent (BEST) Program, competing with hundreds of other applicants for this event aimed at emerging leaders in the pharmaceutical and biological sciences field.
During their captivating week-long program, Ashwin and Nilesh presented their research while getting feedback from high-level leaders across R&D. Receiving a hands-on experience at the BEST program was especially rewarding for the two students, as they networked with students from MIT, Yale, Iowa, Minnesota, and Northeastern while exploring how their work could translate into real-world, patient-centric drug development.
When asked about his favorite memory from the experience, Nilesh couldn’t pick just one impactful moment. From talking to leaders about their research to understanding how academia can transition to real-life impacts and professional opportunities upon graduating, there wasn’t a moment when Nilesh wasn’t learning. Ashwin especially enjoyed the professional development aspect of the program, where he reflected on his readiness for a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Ashwin and Nilesh’s eagerness to learn from the 2025 Best Program was, in part, due to their UConn mentorship. Collaborating in weekly meetings with Diane Burgess, Ashwin and Nilesh went over their presentations to build their knowledge base. These meetings, along with the School’s career orientation and other professional workshops and weekly seminars from Ph.D. students, helped foster the students’ confidence going into the week-long experience.
Because of his fifth-year status as a Ph.D. student, Nilesh is actively looking for a job and found the BEST program effective in helping him explore career paths and understand the benefits of networking. On the other hand, Ashwin is in the middle of his Ph.D., so the week served him well in creating new emerging interests and career paths he had yet to explore fully.
Ashwin and Nilesh are grateful to Dr. Manami Tsutsumi from Boehringer Ingelheim, USA, and the entire Boehringer Ingelheim team for this opportunity.
Ashwin and Nilesh, both emerging leaders within the UConn School of Pharmacy, successfully showcased their innovation outside their lab, contributing to the success of Boehringer Ingelheim’s second annual Emerging Scientist Talent program!
