Manager of Corporate Responsibility, Biogen

Alazar Ayele is an instructor at the Biogen Community Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He joined Biogen in 2014 and began leading the Community Lab in 2018. He also attends Harvard University, pursuing a Ph.D. in anatomy and neurobiology. In his undergraduate days at Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts, he studied Applied Biology, while working at the Libermann Laboratory at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where he studied renal cell carcinoma and the role of protein sPDF in prostate cancer. He was the recipient of the Ujima Global Leadership Award from Northeastern University in 2009.

Alazar currently sits on the advising committee for Dana-Farber’s Harvard Cancer Center’s Continuing Umbrella Research Experience, an organization that introduces Massachusetts high school and college students from underrepresented populations to the world of cancer research. He also sits on the committee for the Harvard Medical School’s Biomedical Science Careers Program (BSCP) directed by Dr. Joan Reed of Harvard Medical School. The BSCP provides students of every race, ethnic background, gender and financial status with encouragement, support and guidance needed for the successful pursuit of biomedical science and other science-related careers. Alazar also sits on the advising committee for the City of Cambridge STEAM Initiative where teachers and administration are encouraged to think about the future of Science Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. The National Minority Quality Forum also named him one of the 2019 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health.

In the future, Alazar hopes to leverage his science knowledge and his teaching background to foster great relationships within the community, as an asset in the workforce development of his city.