Three Questions with Emily Wight

In our Three Questions feature, we interview other science communications experts in Canada and beyond. For our summer edition, Magnetic Communications connected with Emily Wight, Manager of Corporate Communications for biotech company Gandeeva Therapeutics and former Communications Manager for the quantum organization Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute.

1. What is the biggest difference you have found between communications in quantum and life sciences for Gandeeva Therapeutics?

The biggest challenge with quantum as opposed to life sciences is that people don’t have a language for quantum sciences the way they do for talking about bodies in health and disease. That means to communicate about quantum sciences, we’re starting at a very fundamental level — we have to create completely new analogies to communicate these concepts that most people aren’t encountering on a daily basis.

For most of us, quantum is very new — it’s not something we learned about in school, and it’s only relatively recently that it has been something discussed in our popular media. That challenge is very interesting, and something I really enjoyed about working in that space. My background is in creative writing, and so I am always trying to tell a story to get people to connect with the material; not having a language to communicate broadly about an idea is a really fun problem to solve.

2. In your view, what is the single most important element to consider when putting together a communications strategy for a biotech like Gandeeva Therapeutics?

Maybe it’s crass, but I find that asking “who cares?” is an important first question when delivering any kind of message. Who cares, and why should they care?

There are so many companies working on problems that from the outside may seem similar that the biggest thing to consider when building a communications strategy for biotech is differentiation. How is your company special? What’s the secret sauce?

Often, the role of external and investor communications at a biotech is showing potential partners and funders that what this company does is unique, that no one is doing this the way we are, and that this is the only way to solve a particular problem. There are some incredibly brilliant people doing important and innovative work across biotech, but there isn’t unlimited money, and a lot of corporate stories start to sound the same, especially to those making decisions about what companies to invest in.

Again, it comes down to the story: what can this company do that others can’t, and why does that matter? Why is this specific approach the only way to solve the problem, and why is this company the one to lead the way? It’s not enough to explain the technology or the CEO’s bio. It has to be clear why the company is best positioned to deliver a return on investment. The differentiation has to be clear and compelling.

3. What is one of the biggest success stories from your career so far?

I am at my best when I have the freedom to go out and build relationships, and Karl Jessen at the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (SBQMI) recruited me for just that purpose. At the time, the institute was seeking to improve external communication but also to establish multidisciplinary collaborations and to educate the public.

Some of that work was in support of a Canada-wide effort to secure federal funding for quantum projects. I joined that team in early March 2020, which of course turned out to be chaotic timing to start anything new, but it was a great opportunity to focus on learning as much as possible about quantum materials and quantum computing in particular and to get to know the scientists and students involved in that work. I was able to learn from some really wonderful researchers and staff and work on finding ways to connect with broader audiences.

One thing I’m really proud of is how we developed a relationship with the Morris & Helen Belkin Gallery at UBC to launch Ars Scientia, a collaboration between artists across several disciplines and researchers at SBQMI and the Department of Physics & Astronomy at UBC, which led to artist residencies, collaborative work between artists and scientists, and public events. I view that relationship and the programs that came out of it as a success not just because I was tasked with connecting quantum materials research with the arts and humanities, but also because it enabled me to work more closely with people at SBQMI that I may not have had the chance to take on creative projects with.