In this episode, Christa Downey speaks with Charles “Chaz” Calitri ‘81, Vice President of Operations at Kyowa Kirin North America. Chaz reflects on his 40-year career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering—from leading Pfizer’s efforts to produce the COVID-19 vaccine to overseeing the construction of Kyowa Kirin’s first U.S. biomanufacturing facility. He shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and the importance of empathy, global experience, and technical depth in engineering. Chaz also discusses the evolving role of AI in pharma, the impact of collaboration in solving complex problems, and his belief that “time is life” when it comes to innovation that improves human health.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Simpkins Family COMPASS Program: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/selander-center-engineering-leadership/simpkins-family-compass-program/
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering: https://ispe.org/
Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1
Editor: Melissa Bazley
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In this episode, Christa Downey speaks with Charles “Chaz” Calitri ‘81, Vice President of Operations at Kyowa Kirin North America. Chaz reflects on his 40-year career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering—from leading Pfizer’s efforts to produce the COVID-19 vaccine to overseeing the construction of Kyowa Kirin’s first U.S. biomanufacturing facility. He shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and the importance of empathy, global experience, and technical depth in engineering. Chaz also discusses the evolving role of AI in pharma, the impact of collaboration in solving complex problems, and his belief that “time is life” when it comes to innovation that improves human health.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Simpkins Family COMPASS Program: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/selander-center-engineering-leadership/simpkins-family-compass-program/
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering: https://ispe.org/
Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1
Editor: Melissa Bazley
Delivering Insights on the Energy Industry and Climate Impact: Kasim Khan ‘20
Cornell Engineering Career Conversations
23 minutes 57 seconds
1 year ago
Delivering Insights on the Energy Industry and Climate Impact: Kasim Khan ‘20
Kasim Khan ’20 is a research analyst at Wood Mackenzie, a global provider of data and analytics solutions for the renewables, energy, and natural resources industries. Kasim discusses his path from being a Chemical Engineering student to his current role, where he advises clients on energy storage technologies and operations. He describes his day-to-day activities, which include aggregating quantitative and qualitative information to develop research reports and pricing forecasts. Kasim also shares his long-standing interest in climate and energy issues, highlighting his commitment to making a positive impact in the industry.
Kasim can be found on Twitter/X: @kawesomekhan
He recommends the following resources:
The Economic Dispatch (economicdispatch.substack.com) - an energy & society newsletter he started with a couple friends.
Stephen Markley’s “The Deluge” - fantastic, gripping climate fiction novel.
Cornell Energy Connection- https://www.cornellenergy.org/cec
Editor: Melissa Bazley
Cornell Engineering Career Conversations
In this episode, Christa Downey speaks with Charles “Chaz” Calitri ‘81, Vice President of Operations at Kyowa Kirin North America. Chaz reflects on his 40-year career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering—from leading Pfizer’s efforts to produce the COVID-19 vaccine to overseeing the construction of Kyowa Kirin’s first U.S. biomanufacturing facility. He shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and the importance of empathy, global experience, and technical depth in engineering. Chaz also discusses the evolving role of AI in pharma, the impact of collaboration in solving complex problems, and his belief that “time is life” when it comes to innovation that improves human health.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Simpkins Family COMPASS Program: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/selander-center-engineering-leadership/simpkins-family-compass-program/
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering: https://ispe.org/
Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1
Editor: Melissa Bazley
