CBS alum Beau Miller draws on his background in biology to advise clients about good investment opportunities.
Beau Miller (B.S. Biochemistry; Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, '14) in downtown Manhattan.
How did you end up in investment banking?
My career path since college has been somewhat unusual but I’ve been fortunate to find a career that suits my personality and interests as well as leverages the skills I acquired as a student in the College of Biological Sciences. I never envisioned myself in a lab or clinic after graduation, but I thought business or law could be a good match — so out of college, I jumped right into a job at a patent law firm and found working with new technologies highly stimulating. So much so, in fact, I decided to pursue a master’s in patent law to become a patent agent. I think my work ethic, analytical skills and intellectual curiosity, coupled with my passion for the biological sciences, has contributed much to success in my current role — and I have my CBS degree to thank for that!
Describe a typical day at work.
It really depends on the news of the day. On my team, we analyze all aspects of both large and small biotechnology companies that are developing innovative therapeutics to treat diseases of high unmet needs (gene editing, cellular therapy, RNAi, etc.) This ranges from researching mechanisms of action, studying a new biological pathway or disease, parsing through newly-released clinical data, building epidemiological models or conducting financial analysis. There is a constant flow of information emerging every day that we examine. We then provide our unique viewpoints to our clients (who are institutional investors in the stock market, such as hedge funds, mutual funds, university endowments, state pensions). We advise them on which public companies and technologies we believe to be impactful investments in science and medicine.
What do you like most about your job?
One aspect of my job that motivates me is that I’m constantly learning. Whether I’m researching an emerging therapeutic area, innovative technology modality, or novel disease target, I always feel engaged in the most exciting and cutting-edge discoveries in the life sciences.
Are you a CBS with an interesting career story to tell? Get in touch. Contact Stephanie Xenosat sxenos@umn.edu.