The Scientist and the Lawyer: Effectively Navigating Across Professional Cultures with Melanie Kitzan Ph.D., J.D.

This week's episode features Melanie Kitzan, Ph.D., J.D., Associate General Counsel at Alpine Immune Sciences. We discuss issues related to similarities and differences in the way lawyers approach their work compared to scientists, how Melanie operates effectively across scientific and legal cultures, and related topics such as:   

How Melanie incorporates both the data aspects of decision making that are part of her responsibilities and also emotion, which is a key element of argument and negotiation

An example of when the tension between these two dimensions was particularly striking to her 

A major challenge facing many scientists is how to translate the complexity of their work into accessible, engaging terms while maintaining accuracy without “dumbing it down” and how Melanie achieves this feat - making the complex both comprehensible to non-experts and also compelling

The value of relationship-building in her professional life and the keys to developing productive professional relationships, in her view