Katie Pieper, PhD, puts the wow in Scientific Communications—just ask her about the selfish sex chromosome in a mushroom-feeding fruit fly

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Why work anywhere other than The AlphaGroup of Medical Communications Agencies—AlphaBioCom, AlphaScientia, and AlphaQsci—when you can work alongside brilliant team members like Katie Pieper, PhD, Principal Scientific Communications Manager (she/her)? We are constantly amazed by the diverse backgrounds of our employees when we learn more about one another’s experiences.

When Katie applied for the position of Scientific Communications Manager in 2018, we knew that she had a PhD in Evolutionary Genetics from the University of Georgia, but we did not see her dissertation topic. And in learning that her research focused on the evolution of a selfish sex chromosome in a mushroom-feeding North American fruit fly, we want to know more! She says this selfish X-chromosome manipulates sperm production in carrier males to sabotage the Y-chromosome; as a result, the males only father daughters that also carry the selfish X.

Katie enjoys the springtime blossoms at Longwood Gardens

Following her graduation, Katie spent a year working in Little Rock, AR, at a pediatric clinical trials center funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH). In this position, Katie had the opportunity to assist researchers across the country in developing clinical trial protocols designed to bring cutting edge clinical research opportunities to medically underserved and rural pediatric populations.

When she’s not focused on science, Katie is an avid runner and yogi and loves to experiment in the kitchen, especially with baking. One of her other creative outlets is cross-stitch, and we think she could open an Etsy shop based on the beauty of her most recent design featured here.

Cross-stitch is one of Katie’s creative talents

With such a fascinating professional background, AlphaGroup is fortunate to have Katie on our Scientific Communications team to help research, write, and edit manuscripts, abstracts, slide presentations, posters, and other deliverables. She joined our company in 2018 as a Scientific Communications Manager and has continued to grow within our organization.

Katie said she enjoys working for AlphaGroup because it provides her with the opportunity to learn new things every day and take a successful project from start to finish. Katie also cites our great people and welcoming corporate culture as a tremendous benefit to her happiness on the job.

Thanks to many extraordinary leaders like Katie, AlphaGroup increases its roster of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Because of this exciting growth phase, we are currently seeking another Scientific Communications Manager to join our exceptional team. Please submit your resume and cover letter here to apply for the Scientific Communication Manager position or the newly posted Account Manager position.

About our Company:

AlphaGroup is a team of PhD scientists, MDs, PharmDs, nurses, designers, and communications and innovation experts. Our collective genius delivers the highest-quality scientific, medical affairs, and outcomes communication services anywhere in the world. The company thrives on three pillars of success—Precision, Integrity, and Passion. Our goal is to cultivate a culture of quality, caring, cutting-edge thinking, and service across a team, reinventing the medical and scientific communications industry standard globally.