2026 SAPA Science and Career Symposium
The 2026 Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (SAPA) annual Science & Careers Symposium brings together leaders, innovators, researchers, and professionals for a dynamic day of learning, collaboration, and career empowerment.
Under this year’s theme — Accelerating Innovation, Reshaping Careers — we explore how rapid advancements in science and artificial intelligence are transforming industries, redefining career paths, and creating new opportunities for impact.
Whether you are a researcher, entrepreneur, data scientist, or emerging professional, this conference is designed to equip you with insights, skills, and connections to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Event Highlights
Accelerating Scientific Innovation in Drug Discovery
This session highlights advances in pharmaceutical research and development, showcasing scientific breakthroughs that drive the discovery and development of new therapies. Speakers from leading pharmaceutical organizations will share perspectives on drug discovery strategies, translational science, and emerging approaches to advancing therapeutics from early research to clinical development.
From Pilot to Production: Applied AI in Action
Move beyond theory in this hands-on AI workshop focused on practical system design and deployment. Participants will explore multi-agent architectures, structured AI system design patterns, and scalable development workflows.
Through demonstrations and guided exercises, attendees will learn how modern AI development is evolving from isolated prompt experimentation toward robust, engineered systems designed for reliability and production environments.
AI & Data Science: Statistically Principled Innovation
This technical session, co-sponsored with the International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA), highlights statistically grounded approaches to artificial intelligence and machine learning for complex scientific and analytical challenges. Speakers will present frameworks that integrate statistical rigor, machine learning methods, and domain expertise to develop reliable, interpretable, and scalable AI solutions, while fostering collaboration among statisticians, data scientists, and AI practitioners.
Reshaping Careers in the AI Era
As technology reshapes scientific practice, career pathways for statisticians and scientists are rapidly evolving. This session provides practical guidance on navigating industry transitions, developing leadership capabilities, and expanding professional impact beyond technical expertise.
Participants will gain perspectives on building long-term career capital, strengthening professional networks, and positioning themselves to lead in an increasingly AI- driven scientific landscape.
Event Agenda
Morning Plenary Session
9:00-12:00 am
Chen Gang, Senior VP, Protein Expression Sciences, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
David Donne, Vice President & Group Head, Oncology Regulatory Affairs III, Bayer
More exciting speakers will be announced soon.
Novel Drug Discovery Science
1:30-05:00 pm
Huaye Zhang, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Liling Wan, Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Binfeng Lu. Professor, Tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy, Hackensack University Medical Center.
More exciting speakers will be announced soon.
Career Development
1:30-05:00 pm
Two keynote speech from experts
Panel Discussion: Landing the Job - Early-Career Biopharma Success from Recent Hires
Live Mock Interview with HRs on Real Openings
Career Roundtables & Networking with Industry Professionals
Pharma AI and Data Science
1:30-05:00 pm
Yifang Peng, Associate, Professor, Department of Population Health Science, Cornell Medicine
Ying Li, PhD, Director, RWE & Advanced Analytics, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
More exciting speakers will be announced soon in partnership with ICSA.
Agentic AI Workshop
1:30-05:00 pm
Vibe, Build, Present: AI Agents for Pharma in a Day
Instructors: Junchi Lu, PhD, Associate Director, Bristol Myers Squibb and Zhiwei Yin, PhD, Associate Director, Bristol Myers Squibb
Course Content:
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Core Hands-On: Multi-Agent System in Jupyter
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Vibe Coding & Agentic Development Patterns
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Group Build Challenge & Shark Tank Session
Event Venue
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School,
675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Parking Instruction:
Free event parking is available in Lots A, B & C.Attendees must register their vehicles online before arriving onsite here: You must enter an email address to receive a confirmation. Vehicles that are not registered may be subject to ticketing and/or towing.Special Event parking does not include metered parking and does not grant free parking to Rutgers faculty, staff, or students.
Parking Registration will be notified soon.
Sponsorship
Explore sponsorship or cooperative opportunities with the upcoming SAPA event.
Please contact SAPA fundraising team: fundraising@sapaweb.org