Introducing 'Open Innovation in Life Sciences'

Joyce, Harini, and Devmini from ‘Open Innovation in Life Sciences’ (OILS) join Jo to talk about the activities of OILS and how they help life scientists in making their work more transparent and efficient. They discuss the mindset change required to embrace open science, the fear of being open, and the need for incentives to encourage researchers to practice open science. They also discuss the growth of open science initiatives in Switzerland and the impact of the OILS organization on its participants and alumni including the challenges and benefits of using open-source tools.

As a part of Life Science Zurich, Open Innovation in Life Sciences (OILS) help life scientists understand what open science is to them and, most importantly, how to practice open science as part of their research routines via public discussions, workshops, courses, and their annual Open Innovation in Life Sciences conference. Everything they do is motivated by early career life scientists and supported by leaders in open science.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/openlifescience 
Twitter/Facebook: @openlifescience

Joyce Kao (ORCID: 0000-0003-2082-6937) is a co-founder of the Open Innovation in Life Sciences (OILS) Association, which is a non-profit in Switzerland that promotes the practice of open science among early career researchers through education and career development events. She has a passion for digitalization and helping organizations run more efficiently. Currently, she is a senior project manager in the Innovation Center for Digital Medicine at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen (Germany).

Harini Lakshminarayanan (ORCID: 0000-0002-0641-3266) is the current Operations Director of the OILS Association. She was the first OILS Marketing Lead and also a part of planning committee for the annual OILS conference in 2021. Harini is a PhD student working on translational clinical cancer research at the Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology Sciences at the University Hospital Zürich.

Devmini Moonamale (ORCID: 0000-0003-1995-4181) is the current Program Director of the OILS Association. She became one of the first Associate Directors at OILS after being a part of the planning committee for the annual OILS conference in 2020. Devmini recently finished her PhD in Cancer Biology at the Department of Oncology at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich and is currently continuing her research as a Post-doc.

Which researcher – dead or alive – do you find inspiring? 
Joyce: many (living) role models - hard to choose one
Harini: Marie Curie
Devmini: Rosalind Franklin

What is your favorite animal and why? 
Joyce: Mantis shrimp; They're pretty and pretty weird. 
Harini: Elephant
Devmini: Cheetah. I like all types of cats in general

Name your (current) favorite song and interpret/group. 

What is your favorite dish/meal? 
Joyce: rotates between tacos and congee
Harini: Upma
Devmini: Kottu