Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Support Helps Build a More Inclusive Biotech Job Pipeline
Image by Henry Marte 05/06/2026
Media Contacts: Nancy Cicco, associate director of media relations (Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu) and Beth Gosselin, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, senior vice president of public affairs and strategic planning (bgosselin@masslifesciences.com)
LOWELL, Mass. – Area residents looking to build a career in the life sciences have a place to gain essential professional experience at an expanded Bioversity laboratory and training space at UMass Lowell.
On Monday, leaders from Bioversity, UMass Lowell, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) welcomed program participants, city officials, lawmakers and industry leaders to tour the new lab, which is located within the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) in Lowell’s Hamilton Canal Innovation District.
A nearly $660,000 grant from the MLSC enabled the renovation and outfitting of the laboratory. Since 2024, the center has also provided Bioversity with operational support and funding for stipends totaling more than $1.4 million through its Pathmaker program.
Bioversity is a pioneering nonprofit provider of biotech workforce training that offers free, eight-week programs at UMass Lowell for working-age adults who are unemployed or underemployed. Participants, many of whom don’t hold a college degree, receive a stipend and individualized job placement support as part of the program.
Bioversity students gain practical, industry-relevant laboratory skills through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on experimentation. The employer-designed curriculum is designed to provide students with the skills they need to be work-ready on Day 1. Program participants gain exposure to core laboratory techniques, the operation and care of scientific equipment, and how to work collaboratively and manage projects in a lab setting.
“Our employer partners tell us regularly that they want to hire people who are curious, communicate well, and are confident and comfortable working in a lab setting,” said Bioversity Executive Director Zach Stanley. “This new lab enables hands-on, team-based learning that helps them get a first job in biotech and start a lifelong career.”
Bioversity student Neil Rosinski spoke at the event about his experience in the program. The 30-year-old Gardner resident, who does not have a background in life sciences, was looking for a new career when his father told him about the workforce training program. Rosinski applied last fall and was accepted into Bioversity’s current session. While he knew the program would teach him job skills, he is impressed it is also providing him with resume-writing assistance and networking opportunities.
“I now feel confident I can apply for any job and be a strong candidate,” he said.Rosinski is one of six participants currently enrolled in the program at the UMass Lowell campus, which is part of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, a mixed-use development launched by UMass Lowell, the city and private industry that is reshaping Lowell’s economic future.
Rosinski’s success, and the success of other students like him, helps fuel MLSC’s commitment to the program.
“UMass Lowell’s M2D2 facility brings together workforce training and cutting-edge infrastructure in a way that directly benefits both trainees, employers and the commonwealth,” said MLSC President and CEO Kirk Taylor, MD. “By combining hands-on education with access to industry-standard facilities, this program is preparing Massachusetts residents for impactful careers in the life sciences.”
The program also benefits from its location at UMass Lowell and the knowledge of university staff. Jack Lepine, a lab manager in UMass Lowell’s Core Research Facilities, is one of Bioversity’s program instructors. A Lowell resident, Lepine oversees the university’s next generation sequencing genomics and biometrics laboratory.
“The Bioversity training program aligns with UMass Lowell’s commitment to providing opportunities for career-connected experiences to all students. Bioversity is a natural partner that leverages UMass Lowell resources and expertise to grow the pipeline of talented professionals in the life sciences workforce,” said UMass Chancellor Julie Chen.
Bioversity, which spun out of MassBio in 2023, opened its first training center in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood in January 2024 and launched its UMass Lowell program in 2025. Since then, it has graduated 135 students, 80% of whom have been placed in jobs at local life sciences companies.
MassBio CEO and President Kendalle Burlin O’Connell described the satisfaction of seeing those trained students succeed in job placements.
“So far, we have changed the lives of 135 people who have graduated from the program. Through all the chaos and the noise, changing people’s lives is what matters. This will probably be the thing I’m most proud of in my whole professional life,” she said.
“The Bioversity workforce training program, which opens up career opportunities to so many throughout our community, is exactly the type of results-driven program Lowell is proud to host. Bioversity’s success is yet another example of the benefits and impact of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, a growing innovation ecosystem that is creating economic opportunities in the Mill City,” said Lowell Mayor Erik Gitschier.
Community members interested in learning more about the program and enrollment opportunities are encouraged to visit the Bioversity website.