Celebrating women and girls in science: Alumni catch-up with Dr. Priye Iworima

Dr. Priye Iworima is a former member of the Piret lab at the MSL. Photo provided by Dr. Iworima.

Dr. Priye Iworima is a Michael Smith Laboratories alum from the lab of Dr. Jamie Piret (MSL, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering), now working in the biotechnology industry where she supports the advancement of cell-based therapies to address a variety of human health challenges.

Priye was born and raised in Nigeria before she moved to Vancouver for her post-secondary education. Following her Master’s degree, she joined Dr. Tim Kieffer’s lab (Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, Department of Surgery) as a research staff member where she fell in love with the work she was doing on stem cells and type 1 diabetes. This led her to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with Dr. Kieffer and Dr. Piret as her co-supervisors, working on the development and manufacturing of cell-based therapies for diabetes.

Priye was recently recognized with the Christopher Hewitt Outstanding Young Investigator Award by Engineering Conferences International (ECI), acknowledging the impact of her PhD research and current work in industry, as well as her commitment to science communication and outreach.

This International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we took the opportunity to catch up with Priye to learn more about her research journey while also celebrating her award.

What was the focus of your PhD research?

My PhD thesis was really in two broad parts.

The first was trying to make stem cells become insulin-producing islet cells. In type 1 diabetes there is an autoimmune destruction of this particular cell type that secretes insulin, so a lot of people that live with type 1 diabetes take insulin injections as a form of therapy. As an alternative to insulin injections, my goal was to direct stem cells to become cells that could be responsible for insulin production and secretion. The process for doing this is called differentiation, and you can kind of think of it as us being ‘chefs’ in the lab. We have the end product of what we want to make in mind. We know some of the ingredients for it, but now we have to confirm the quality of the ingredients, the right proportions, and any necessary substitutions. We’re using stem cells as a raw material, but we want to turn them into the insulin-producing cells, and optimize that process.

The other side of my project was focused on manufacturing and scale-up, because it’s not enough for us to simply make the cells. We estimate that we need billions of these cells per person living with type 1 diabetes to function as a potential therapeutic dose, so we need to scale up manufacturing to meet that goal. Circling back to that chef analogy, we’re thinking about what kinds of pots we should use, how we control the temperature, how we can determine whether it’s going to turn out well, and other attributes that indicate the quality of what we’re making as we scale it up. The goal is to find an economical and efficient way to scale production, but more importantly, we want to ensure it’s safe, because at the end of the day that’s the biggest priority.

When did you decide to pursue a career in industry? Was this decision planned, or did the opportunity arise spontaneously?

I wouldn’t say that I planned specifically for industry. I knew a lot of what I didn’t want to do, which included being a professor. For a long time, I associated doing a PhD with following an academic path, which was one reason I initially hesitated to pursue one. Even though I love teaching, education and research, being a professor wasn’t something that I felt passionate about. I mainly wanted to see how I could transfer the expertise that I had and my love and passion for science into something that continued to challenge me. Outside of academia, industry aligned most closely with that goal. I was also intentional about positioning myself for the next step-by having a job lined up. I made sure to build strong professional connections through deliberate networking, and I had people approach me with job opportunities. By the time I finished writing up my thesis, I knew where I was going next.

What do you think has had the most influence on you as you’ve advanced in your research journey?

Something that has really helped me get where I am today is having found my village. My village is a set of people who empower me, challenge me, and celebrate with me. It’s important to have people that pour into me, and that I can pour back into as well. I have friends who have stayed with me since I moved to Canada, through my research journey to now. We can call each other up and challenge each other still. That is something that I value and strongly suggest everyone find.

I think another key piece is being curious. I’m always curious, and you never know where that curiosity is going to take you. You might not be able to find the answer, but you might find someone who knows the answer, or someone that knows someone who knows the answer. Curiosity keeps things interesting for me.

What does it mean to you, being recognized with the Christopher Hewitt Outstanding Young Investigator Award?

It’s really exciting and an honour to receive this award, especially given the legacy of Christopher Hewitt. I feel a twofold appreciation. One for being selected, and another for the people who have supported me throughout my journey and continued to believe in me. Hearing from former supervisors, now colleagues, who took the time to nominate me was especially meaningful. I know how much hard work I have put into what I’m doing because of how much I love it. Knowing that others see and value your work in that way is incredibly humbling. I’m truly grateful for the people that see that and to want to see me recognized for it.

What advice do you have for future graduate students?

One thing I always recommend for future graduate students is to make sure you talk to people when looking to join a lab. This includes the professor, but also others in the lab. Talking to more people can give you a better sense of what that lab environment is like, and if it is one that will nurture you, challenge you in a good way, and allow you to thrive.

Another piece of advice is to network. Networking is very scary for a lot of people, and it will continue to be scary, but still do it in spite of how scary it feels. I’d recommend starting with the goal of just talking to one person, and go in with an opening question ready. It’s okay if it feels scripted in the moment, but you have to do it to get the feeling of anxiety out of your system. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

And, as a final piece of advice, celebrate the little things. If you’ve been struggling with an experiment and it finally works, celebrate yourself for doing that. It’s those little things that will keep you going and give you the discipline to continue. Motivation is fickle, you can be motivated one day and not the next, but it’s what you do when you’re not motivated that is really going to help push you forward.

What advice would you give to young women who are pursuing research careers in STEM?

First, invest in mastering your craft and don’t be afraid to try, to experiment and to fail. Take on challenging projects that interest you early on in your career, even when you don’t feel completely ready. Some of your greatest growth will come from the things that don’t work out the first time. Competence is built through practice, persistence and learning from setbacks.

Second, learn to advocate for yourself. Speak up about your ideas, your goals, and your contributions. You deserve to be in the room and your perspective matters. Confidence doesn’t mean knowing everything; it means trusting that you are capable of learning.

Third, be intentional about your community. Seek mentors, sponsors, and peers who support your growth, challenge you constructively, and celebrate your success. No one builds a meaningful career alone, and strong networks open doors you may not even know exist.

Fourth, give yourself permission to evolve. Your path doesn’t have to be linear. You can move between research interests, disciplines, sectors, and roles. What matters is staying aligned with your values and curiosity, not fitting into someone else’s definition of success.

And finally, remember that your presence in STEM is powerful. Every space you enter becomes more inclusive because you are there. Don’t shrink yourself to fit. Take up space, lead with integrity, and make it easier for the women coming after you.