Leadership today is not about having all the answers or always being in control. It’s about overcoming the unexpected, staying open to new ideas, and finding ways to bring out the best in everyone around you. True leaders know that the path to success can be full of twists and turns, and they use these challenges as chances to learn and grow. They create spaces where people feel heard, valued, and motivated to push beyond what they thought was possible.
Michelle Chen understands this well. As the Chief Business Officer at Insilico Medicine, she combines a passion for science with a talent for building strong, innovative teams. From her early days inspired by the great minds of science to leading a global team at the forefront of AI-driven drug discovery, Michelle’s journey has been all about adapting, learning, and leading with purpose. As a key executive of Insilico Medicine, she continues to explore new frontiers in drug discovery and development powered by AI, bridging the gap between innovative technology and real-world impact.
How a Childhood Dream Led to Becoming a Scientist?
Michelle was born in Shanghai, China, and her family relocated frequently due to her parents’ jobs. As the younger child in a family with a much older brother, there was no expectation for her to take on a leadership role. Instead, she was given freedom to choose whatever she liked to do, from chasing the butterflies in the field, to staying up past midnight to watch the starry sky. She became fascinated by science and her childhood aspiration was to become a scientist, motivated by a desire to focus on discovering the laws of nature without the complexities of social interactions.
Her early heroes were scientists like Madam Curie, Thomas Edison, and Galileo Galilei, known for their significant scientific discoveries and contributions to society. She was the valedictorian from her high school and was admitted to multiple top universities in China without the need to take the college entrance exam which was required for most students. Eventually she chose to study biochemistry at Zhongshan University.
At the age of 19, Michelle Chen decided to move to the United States on a college scholarship to further her education. She went on to earn a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Washington, completed her postdoctoral work at UCSF and received bioinformatics training at Stanford University, fulfilling her goal of becoming a scientist in the biomedical field. Throughout her academic journey, she had the opportunity to learn from leading scientists and researchers, including Nobel Laureates such as Dr. Edwin Krebs, Dr. Ed Fisher, and Dr. Lee Hartwell, who greatly influenced her academic training and future development.
Upon transitioning from academia to industry, Michelle has achieved a strong track record of success in R&D, marketing, product commercialization, business development, company building and investment. Through her versatile career paths, she recognized the importance of teamwork, partnerships (internal and external), and execution, particularly in the areas of drug discovery and development.
Currently, Michelle Chen is leading a global team of business development professionals with expertise in drug discovery and development, AI, R&D, and operations at Insilico Medicine, to trailblaze the new and exciting techbio field.
Transforming Drug Discovery Via AI
Insilico Medicine is a globally leading generative AI-driven techbio company in the clinical stage, integrating biology, chemistry, medicine, and science research. The company employs advanced AI platforms that use deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques for discovering novel targets and generating molecular structures with specific properties. Insilico Medicine is focused on developing innovative therapeutics for a variety of conditions, including cancer, fibrosis, immunity disorders, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, and age-related conditions.
Turning Setbacks into Opportunities
“People tend to associate leadership with great success. But I think you can learn more from the “zig-zag” path to success.”—quotes Michelle Chen.
Years ago, Michelle led a crucial project and a team of 20-30 people at a large pharmaceutical company. Despite extensive preparation of technical materials, rehearsals, and stakeholder engagement, the management rejected the proposal due to budget constraints. This decision left the team feeling demotivated for a period. However, Michelle and her team persisted. When the budget situation improved six months later, they resubmitted the project proposal to management. Ultimately, the proposal was approved, and the project proceeded to eventual success. Michelle Chen views resilience as a fundamental aspect of effective leadership.
A Lesson in Humility
An early experience from Michelle’s graduate studies with Dr. Lee Hartwell influenced her leadership approach. During a yeast genetics class, many students did not perform well on an exam. Instead of reprimanding them, Dr. Hartwell offered to discuss any concerns about the grading and invited students to present their arguments. Although Michelle did not approach him at the time, she was impressed by his willingness to listen and engage with differing viewpoints, even as a leading expert.
Lee later won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and became the President of Fred Hutch Cancer Center, a leading cancer institute in the world. “I think being humble and motivating others to work toward a common goal is essential to strong leadership.” qualities Michelle aims to incorporate into her leadership style.
The Ripple Effect of Mentorship
Michelle values mentorship as an important aspect of developing effective leaders. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of receiving guidance from multiple mentors who have played a significant role in shaping her life and providing support for her thoughts and decisions.
In return, Michelle has committed herself to mentoring others, including students, scientists, R&D managers, and individuals considering a transition from science to business. She has either served or is serving on various non-profit boards and has provided guidance to organizations such as BayHelix, California Life Sciences, Canway Youth, the Stanford SPARK program, and school PTAs. She is also a board trustee of Bethany College as part of her commitment to give back and improve the quality of higher education. Because of her achievement and leadership, Michelle Chen has been selected as one of this year’s Top 25 Biotech Executives by the Healthcare Technology Report. (https://thehealthcaretechnologyreport.com/the-top-25-biotech-executives-of-2024/)
The Art of Management
Michelle’s approach to decision-making in complex or high-stakes situations involves a three-dimensional strategy: managing up, managing down, and managing laterally.
- Managing up entails communicating effectively with superiors, including direct bosses and their higher-ups. These individuals typically prefer a concise summary of the issue and recommended solutions rather than detailed complaints.
- Managing down focuses on conveying the vision to the team and motivating them to work toward the same goal. This involves spending additional time with the team to address the details and develop effective solutions.
- Managing laterally involves collaborating with peers within the company and external partners, especially in business development contexts. This ensures that external partnership needs are met and aligns business development efforts with both scientific and business objectives.
“I believe, to be successful, one needs to master the art of management.”—quotes Michelle Chen.
Visionary Leadership
As per Michelle, exceptional leaders are defined by their vision and their skill in effectively communicating it, motivating others to strive toward a shared objective. They also exhibit the bravery to take on actions that might be divisive or unpopular, guiding with confidence and relying on evidence rather than only power and authority.
In her leadership approach, Michelle Chen consistently reinforces her team’s overarching goals, especially in times of disagreement. Additionally, she actively promotes open communication and productive discussion among the management team in her role as an executive, ensuring cohesive implementation after decisions are reached.
Michelle’s Vision for AI Innovation
Michelle envisions a future where leadership in AI-powered drug discovery (AIDD) significantly impacts the healthcare landscape. At the intersection of disruptive technology and traditional drug development, she views Insilico Medicine as a leader in demonstrating how AI can reduce time and costs while improving success rates in drug discovery.
Since the field is still emerging, with AI-developed drugs yet to be approved by the FDA, Michelle believes that leadership requires vision, courage, and innovation. Her goal is not only to drive Insilico Medicine’s success but also to foster a community and consortium that supports others in the industry, ultimately contributing to advancements that benefit patients worldwide.
From Boss to Coach
Michelle Chen advises that the highest level of leadership is not about bossing people around but about guiding those whom you are leading. She believes that focusing on coaching rather than authority helps prevent ego from getting in the way of effective leadership.
By shifting from a mindset of “bossing” to one of “coaching,” communication channels improve, resistance decreases, and outcomes become more effective. Michelle emphasizes that true leadership should be based on influence, fairness, encouraging good behaviors, and correcting bad behaviors. Empowering and developing others as leaders multiplies the impact and leads to lasting changes.
“The best coaches inspire players. I want to be one of them.” – quotes Michelle
