Rose Harrison: Science to strategy

Born in Canada, raised in South Africa, and later educated in Australia, Rosemary (Rose) Harrison has built a career that spans continents, boardrooms and laboratories. Now based in the United States on a working visa, Rose is the Chief Business Officer at Nabla Bio where they use generative AI and human-relevant web-lab capabilities to de novo design biologic drugs.

“Biotech isn’t just about pure science,” she says. “It’s about science and business together. My job is to bring those 2 pieces into alignment.” Nabla Bio is bringing AI technology and pharmaceutical science together in completely new ways, and this demands new ways of doing business.

Turning points and big wins

Rose is candid about the pivotal moments that set her career in motion. The first came when Professor Ross Barnard connected her with Stuart Behncken at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. “Stu opened up a whole new world – the real business of science,” she recalls. That experience sparked her shift from academia to commercialisation.

The decision to leave academic science was not easy. After nearly a decade invested into molecular and structural biology and post doc offers in hand, Rose decided to join management consulting to learn some business.

The next turning point was nothing short of career-defining: selling her first biotech company to Pfizer for $2.3 billion. “It demanded an incredible amount of hard work in a short time,” she reflects. She was just 39.

But Rose insists that the tough times were equally formative.

“Some of the best working relationships are forged when things are difficult, and you really have to pull together.”

A global career in motion

After completing her PhD at The University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Rose took a leap into consulting with Bain & Company in Sydney, then Munich, followed by 3 years in Zurich. Her “dream job” as Head of Strategy and Portfolio Management at Novartis took her to Boston, where she fell in love with the city’s biotech scene.

Today, she blends science, investment, and commercialisation. “Too often, scientists think that good science and an active molecule are enough. In 2025, that’s just not true. I bring the complementary lens: How do we fund this? Who are the right partners? How do we actually get this drug to patients?”

Shaping the future of biotech

Rose points to the sequencing of the human genome in 2000 as the most exciting biotech milestone of the past 25 years. “Because of that, we now have drugs that can edit a patient’s DNA. That’s truly phenomenal.” She believes gene therapies will become simpler, cheaper, and more accessible within the next decade – even in developing countries.

Today, she’s working on the use of generative AI in drug design and development, and she’s confident this field will be the next milestone moment for our industry.

Memories of UQ and lessons for students

For Rose, UQ is inseparable from friendships, mentors and formative opportunities. She still keeps in touch with her undergrad cohort via WhatsApp. She fondly remembers receiving a scholarship to study abroad at UC Santa Cruz, calling it “life-changing,” and credits the diversity of research she encountered at IMB for broadening her horizons.

Her scientific mentors – Ross Barnard, Jenny Martin and David Fairlie, and others – helped her “dream bigger than she thought possible.” Now, she urges students to do the same.

“Dream bigger than you ever think possible. Ask for help. Figure it out as you go. No single decision is unchangeable.”

She also believes UQ should continue to embed commercialisation, fundraising and global biotech perspectives into its teaching. “Students don’t always think globally. They imagine getting a job in Brisbane. But why not Switzerland, or San Francisco? You can’t imagine what you don’t know.”

Looking ahead

Through her consulting, mentoring, and guest lectures, Rose is helping prepare the next generation of biotech leaders. She’s pragmatic about impact: “I enjoy working with high-performing teams, helping them be the best they can be. Ultimately, it’s about ensuring more medicines reach more people.”

In her words, the lesson is clear: “You don’t have to have it all figured out at 18 or 25. Trust yourself to find your way. UQ students are really smart. I have full faith they can do it.”