International Day Of Women in Statistics and Data Science

A career is rarely a straight line. It is shaped by choices, unexpected opportunities, challenges, mentors, setbacks, and the willingness to keep learning along the way. In this talk, I reflect on my journey from studying statistics in India to pursuing a PhD in Biostatistics in the United States and building a career as a statistician in the biopharmaceutical industry. Along the way, my experiences have taken me across academic research, internships, clinical development, statistical methodology, multiple therapeutic areas, mentoring, professional service, and leadership within the statistical community.
Rather than focusing only on milestones, this talk explores the crossroads and turning points behind them—the decisions that changed direction, the opportunities that initially seemed small but became important, and the lessons learned from navigating uncertainty and growth. Drawing from experiences in research, clinical trials, interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring, and professional engagement, I will share how curiosity, adaptability, relationships, and continuous learning have shaped my development as a statistician. The central message is simple: careers are built one step at a time, and even the steps that do not seem significant in the moment can ultimately help define where we go next.