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Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Marya Kozinova

In this edition of our Alumni Highlight, we are excited to feature Dr. Marya Kozinova, a former graduate student in Dr. Lori Rink's Lab and postdoc in Dr. Phil Abbosh's Lab.

Keep reading to hear about her career journey, challenges, and her advice for current trainees!

Can you tell us about your current role and how your experience at Fox Chase helped shape your career?

"I am currently the Manager of Data Science and Solutions at Capricor Therapeutics, where I focus on integrating bioinformatics, process automation, and statistical modeling to support the development and manufacturing of exosome and cell therapy products. Fox Chase was a life-changing experience that gave me opportunities for growth through lectures, classes, volunteering, teaching, and working across different labs and fields. I also built lasting professional and personal connections.

The training I gained there helps me today. I understand how data are generated, where biases come from, and how lab troubleshooting translates into solving problems in digital biology. On my team of a physicist, a bioengineer, and myself, I bring value as a former biologist, bridging biological questions with my colleagues’ more math-focused approaches. I would not be in this role without the foundation I built at Fox Chase."

What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned during your time as a trainee?

"Some lessons were very practical: filtered pipette tips save a world of trouble, always close the pH meter or it will crust over, and yes, you can check the cafeteria menu online before committing to the walk. The bigger lessons were persistence and adaptability. Research rarely goes in a straight line, and the same is true later in your career. Political shifts, funding changes, and failed experiments all force you to adjust. Some of my best outcomes came from experiments that first failed but pushed me to rethink my approach.

I also learned the value of setting “soft goals” instead of one rigid path and pairing them with a clear list of what I will not sacrifice to get there. What started as professional decision-making grew into something I now use in my day-to-day life: balancing what I want with what truly matters."

Looking back, what advice would you give to current trainees who are navigating their research and careers?

"Stay open to opportunities outside your comfort zone. The skills I use most today, like statistics and coding, began as side projects I was truly terrible at in the beginning (literally, terrible!), but persistence paid off.

Build relationships. Science - and life in general - is collaborative. Projects succeed and fail, but the people you meet can shape your career and life. At Fox Chase, go to lectures, join social events, ask questions, even help a patient find the cafeteria — you’ll learn the most from others. Years later, those connections are invaluable; I can still call a friend across the country to Fedex me an enzyme overnight, which is priceless when deadlines are tight."

What challenges did you face transitioning from a trainee to your current position, and how did you overcome them?

"The biggest challenge was moving from being an individual contributor in academia, where most collaborators shared the goal of mutual success, to working in cross-functional industry teams where agendas often conflict. In academia, you can usually avoid difficult colleagues or seek support elsewhere. In industry, collaboration isn’t optional, you must work with people whose priorities may compete with yours. The hardest part was learning to trust others’ expertise, respect different perspectives, and find common ground, even when it meant letting go of my own preferred approach.

Another challenge for me was leadership. I thought I already knew something about it. At Fox Chase, I mentored summer students and guided people in doing something I knew how to do, sharing protocols and teaching techniques I had mastered. Later in my career, I began hiring people with expertise I didn’t have myself. That required a very different mindset: learning through their hands-on work instead of my own. It takes trust, courage to let others make mistakes, and the willingness to take responsibility for those mistakes as a leader."

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance in academia and research?

"I’ve always seen research as a lifestyle rather than just a job, so I’m not the best example of work-life balance (but not the worst either). I’ve learned that balance doesn’t mean equal time: some seasons demand more from work, others allow more space for personal life. Overworking still happens, but the key is staying mindful and not judging yourself when it does. But breaks always help: I come back with fresh eyes and new energy for the same problems.

What helps me most is creating commitments I can’t cancel last minute just to squeeze in more work. For example, caring for a diabetic dog who needs medication on schedule (an imaginary case — in reality, I have three healthy rats). I also set anchors that make nonstop work impossible: planning trips, buying tickets ahead of time, when I fully believe future me will make time for the trip... And when the date comes, even if I feel unprepared, I can’t cancel."

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