Brita Kilberg-Basnyat

PhD, DABT

Associate Director, Certara

she/her

Brita Kilbrg-Basnyat, PhD – Speaker Bio

Current position: Associate Director, Certara

Previous positions: Senior Scientist/ Principal Investigator – Arcus Biosciences; Health Risk Assessor – Wisconsin Department of Health Services; Toxicology Study Director – LabCorp (Covance); Postdoctoral Scholar – East Carolina University

Current position description: My career in toxicology has taken me through government, industry, and consulting, giving me a broad perspective on how toxicology supports both public health and drug development. I started in industry as a Toxicology Study Director and then pivoted to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, where I focused on hazard assessments and translating toxicology into meaningful public health decisions. After that, I moved back into industry into a role as a nonclinical safety scientist. I now work in consulting, where I get to bring together my scientific, regulatory, and drug development experience to help teams make informed decisions about nonclinical safety.

Advice for trainees: Don’t be afraid to pivot.
Explore new interests, even if they differ from your current expertise. Your research has given you transferable skills that can apply across specialties and careers.

Network, network, network.
Build relationships before you need a job. Reach out to alumni, conference contacts, professional organizations, and people whose careers interest you—and use informational interviews to learn and build connections.

Find the right fit.
Not every job, workplace, or conversation will be the right fit—and that’s okay. Learn from the experience, figure out what you want, and move forward.

You don’t need a postdoc for industry.
A postdoc isn’t required for most industry careers, but it can be valuable if you need time to explore your options and develop additional transferable skills.