A career built on collaboration and commercialisation
How Dr Goslik Schepers turned a PhD in molecular biology into a powerhouse of biotech innovation
From molecular developmental biology student to strategic advisor and biotech mentor, Dr Goslik Schepers has built a career defined by two enduring themes: collaboration and commercialisation.
Goslik joined the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) in 2000, drawn by its pioneering multidisciplinary approach to discovery and focus on real-world health outcomes. Under the mentorship of Professor Peter Koopman, he explored the molecular genetics of organ development, mapping the human SOX8 gene—a foundation that would shape his curiosity and career trajectory.
After completing his PhD, Goslik didn’t just stay in the lab. He stepped into a biotechnology analyst role with IMBCom, gaining early exposure to how research could be translated into commercial success.
"I don’t think I would have had the opportunity anywhere else at that time to gain not just a PhD but also incredible exposure to a variety of alternative views on how research discoveries might change the way disease could be treated, and how they could get from bench to bedside," Goslik reflects.
He credits IMB’s environment for nurturing this broader perspective:
"The IMB model allowed us to focus on our research interests but always with exposure to translational concepts. To get there, we needed to converse with other disciplines, which meant learning new vocabularies to understand what they were doing. We went on retreats and commercialisation bootcamps with other research groups—it was a very nurturing environment for scientists who didn’t fit the mould of a classical research career."
“ That immersive experience laid the foundation for a dynamic career. Goslik has held technology transfer roles at Oxford University Innovation, founded multiple new companies, including Integrated Gut Health a wholistic gut health clinic, and worked in senior management positions for Summit Therapeutics (UK), Alchemia, and as Head of Commercial for QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. This experience led to Dr Schepers taking on the Senior Investment Manager role for venture capital company Brand Capital Partners. He has also served as CEO of several companies, including most recently as CEO of Eco-Markets, a natural capital market administrator.
In recent years, Goslik has continued to shape the biotech landscape through a portfolio of strategic advisory roles. He founded Goslik Schepers Consulting in 2007 to provide guidance across the biotech sector, including investment, capital raising, and business execution. Today, he also mentors emerging companies through AusBiotech’s Industry Growth Program.
"It’s been more than 20 years since my PhD project was published, and in that time, I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of scientists bring visibility and commercial validation to their big-picture ideas," Goslik says.
Goslik fondly recalls that life at IMB wasn’t just about the science:
"I was one of the first PhD students to graduate, a member of SIMBA, and part of the AusBiotech committee. I also established and captained IMB’s first—and only—volleyball team! More impressive, though, was that IMB was one of the first research institutes to have an artist-in-residence and hold an art competition. My prize-winning image of a digitalised embryo gave me a great cover for my thesis."
Today, Goslik continues to support the next generation of biotech leaders, helping research-based spinouts grow and thrive—ultimately delivering impact to universities, hospitals, and patients alike.