Christy Tulen, PhD

Hi, I’m Christy.
Nice to meet you!

As a consultant at ttopstart, I combine my curiosity-driven scientific research mentality with my enthusiasm for supporting clients to convey their strategic research plan and vision in a clear, structured, and convincing way.

How/When did your passion for life sciences / innovation / research start?

 As a student I was intrigued by the relation between nutrition, pharmacy and health, in particular what can you do with nutrients and when medicines are needed to improve health and treat disease. After I completed my Bachelor and Master ‘Nutrition and Health’ at Wageningen University, I focused on research in the field of inhalation toxicology and unravelling molecular pathways underlying lung disease during my PhD. Although I have enjoyed doing fundamental research in the field of biomedical and health sciences last years, I realized that I like to think about the scientific and societal impact of scientific findings, and how to translate scientific insights into societal and policy applications. 

What are the main challenges for researchers and innovators in life sciences and health, and how would you like to empower them? 

I aim to combine my curiosity-driven scientific research mentality with my enthusiasm for supporting clients to convey their strategic research plan and vision in a clear, structured, and convincing way. 

What are your credentials/experience, for working in your position? 

Due to my experience in academia, I am able to understand the struggles the clients are facing in doing research. Moreover, I am an enthusiastic team player and have learned to collaborate effectively with researchers from various (inter-) national universities and research institutes during my PhD. Initiating and maintaining a broad national and international network of researchers and joining forces has contributed to answering our research questions. Connecting researchers, ensuring that everyone involved in the project felt heard and that everyone recognized themselves in the end-products gives me energy. I find it interesting and challenging to collaborate in a multidisciplinary team of colleagues and clients working at various universities, companies, and institutions. I am convinced that effective collaboration with various stakeholders is essential for projects to succeed, to accelerate novel impactful innovations for healthcare and life sciences and will guide projects to the next level. My experience in academia and project management will help me to serve clients. 

What is your role and added value at ttopstart? 

As a consultant at ttopstart, I combine my curiosity-driven scientific research mentality with my enthusiasm for supporting clients to convey their strategic research plan and vision in a clear, structured, and convincing way. I find it interesting and challenging to work with a multidisciplinary team of colleagues and clients to contribute to impactful innovations for healthcare and life sciences in order to bring a project to the next level.   

What do you like most about working at ttopstart? 

At ttopstart, there is the unique opportunity to use my biomedical background in making innovative impact in the field of life sciences and healthcare, in which effective collaboration is essential for this to succeed. Supporting both individual researchers and consortia by co-developing and challenging their ambitious research ideas focusing on various life science topics, makes every day at ttopstart challenging and diverse. 

The ttopstart values are Teamwork, Taking Ownership and Passion, how do you personally relate to these values? 

Teamwork 

I find it interesting and challenging to work with a multidisciplinary team of colleagues and clients to contribute to impactful innovations for healthcare and life sciences. I am an enthusiastic team player and get energy from inspiring brainstorming sessions with a team of colleagues and clients to generate novel project ideas, and provide new insights and opportunities in order to bring a project to the next level. 

 Taking Ownership 

I am taking ownership of the project and related tasks by communicating clear about expectations with clients and colleagues. I am flexible and result-oriented, have a pro-active attitude and ensure doing what I promise. 

Passion 

Already from a young age, I am intrigued by the relation between nutrition, pharmacy and health, in particular what can you do with nutrients and when medicines are really needed to improve health and treat disease. I am passionate about impactful innovations in the field of life sciences and healthcare, and I am happy that I can contribute to this as a consultant at ttopstart every day.