What happens when scientists become CEOs?

For most of my academic career I could be found in the laboratory, either looking through a microscope or analysing data while developing next-generation human muscle models.

Today, much of my work involves pitching to investors, liaising with clients, and managing the myriad responsibilities that come with running a fast-growing tech startup.

I’ve moved from being a research-active academic at various universities to being an investment-seeking CEO in my late 40s.

Even though I working towards this change in my career for several years, there were still many things I didn’t expect. Here are five lessons I learned when I swapped the lab for the boardroom.

1. Building a business can require a different mindset and a mix of skills

Switching from an academic focus to a commercial one can require a different mindset. In science, failure is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is often an expected and valuable part of the process. In business, while some failure is inevitable, you cannot afford to fail too often because the consequences are commercial as well as scientific.

The pace of decision-making is also very different. In academia, important decisions are often made only after extensive data collection and analysis. In business, you frequently have to make high-stakes decisions quickly and with incomplete information. Speed and market value often matter more than absolute precision.

When I started as a scientist and researcher, I was primarily concerned with the quest for knowledge, driven by curiosity and a desire to better understand human biology, specifically the musculoskeletal system. When I became a Dean, the boardroom became my main workplace, with more leadership, planning and management responsibilities.

Now, as a CEO of a startup tech business, I’m able to apply my skills and experience from both those roles to the task of building a viable business that can successfully bring a product to market and deliver a return for our investors.

2. Having a co-founder is a huge benefit

Scientists rarely possess every skill required to launch and grow a successful business alone. Myomaker Bio could not have succeeded without the knowledge and expertise of our co-founder, Dr Andrew Capel.

Andrew is deeply knowledgeable about the IP underpinning the business and has significant experience in securing funding, having received awards totalling £7.3 million. He also led the R&D operations of our academic group for eight years before we spun the business out of Loughborough University.

Together, we set the strategic direction for Myomaker’s R&D and ensure the company’s scientific ambitions translate into commercial progress.

If business development is not your natural strength, it is worth partnering with someone whose background is in sales, finance, marketing or commercial strategy so you can focus on the scientific side of the business.

3. There are more transferable skills than you might think

During my academic career, I held various head of department positions, directorships, and consultancy roles, all of which gave me experience relevant to the business world. I managed colleagues, dealt with administration and HR, developed educational programmes, and oversaw research funding. Being a research-active academic means you are always bidding for projects, running a team, running a budget.

Navigating these responsibilities gave me a strong grounding for the client and leadership work I do now. In many ways, managing clients is not so different from navigating the diverse personalities and competing priorities found in academia.

Leading groups of scientists is also remarkably similar to leading a startup. Beyond developing the technology itself, you have to inspire people, recruit talent, manage projects and secure funding.

My scientific training has also proved valuable in the detail of running a startup, particularly when it comes to analysing data and maintaining rigour. That analytical approach, combined with scientific curiosity and problem-solving, can be a real advantage in business.

4. You have to learn how to communicate differently

One of the biggest adjustments I faced was changing the way I communicate.

In academia, you are trained to be cautious, detailed, and precise. Every claim must be supported by evidence and able to withstand scrutiny.

In business, clarity and confidence are often just as important as technical accuracy. Investors, clients and commercial partners do not usually want a deep scientific explanation, they want to understand the problem you are solving, why it matters and why your business is well placed to solve it.

That does not mean compromising our scientific integrity. Rather, it means learning how to translate complex ideas into language different audiences can quickly understand.

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The communication skills I developed through supervising research programmes, leading a faculty and negotiating with academics and administrators have proved invaluable in the early stages of growing our business.

We’ve also realised where we need additional support in this area, working with marketing and PR specialists to hone our messaging and communicate it to different audiences.

5. Basic business skills should be taught in science degrees

This final point may prove controversial. For many academic institutions, science and business are still treated as completely separate disciplines. Despite the overlap in transferable skills, it is often a case of “never the twain shall meet”.

In today’s fast-moving and interconnected world, that separation no longer makes sense.

Scientists who understand business, know how to navigate commercial deals and can translate academic research into practical applications are highly employable and increasingly sought after. If you can speak the languages of both science and business, you are at a significant advantage in a competitive job market.

An increasing number of major businesses are now employing scientists in senior leadership positions and appointing them to their boards.

While many institutions now offer MBAs targeted at science graduates, it would be even better if basic business skills were taught alongside science degrees from the outset.

The journey from scientist to CEO has been challenging, but it has also shown me that scientific thinking, commercial awareness and innovation are becoming increasingly inseparable in today’s economy.