Questions & Answers with Rose Loughlin

As we celebrated International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we caught up with our colleague Rose Loughlin, who leads Research and Early Development at Moderna. 

Rose talks about uncomfortable opportunities to learn, leaving the ladder down, and shamelessly asking a lot of questions. 

Name: Rose Loughlin
Role: SVP, Research & Early Development
Years at Moderna: 6 years
Hometown: Canyon Lake, TX

How did you end up in your role and what do you love about your career choice? 
I’ve had a winding path, moving from grad school to life sciences consulting, then business development, operations, strategy, and now Research & Early Development. I’ve loved the constant, and sometimes uncomfortable, opportunity to learn and the growing appreciation for different perspectives.

What drew you to Moderna originally? And how has the company changed since? 
I was originally drawn to the platform technology. We were about 300 employees and dosing our first vaccine when I joined. While we’ve grown an order of magnitude and now have an approved vaccine, we’re still eager to demonstrate the potential of our technology to help patients and people worldwide.

What’s been your favorite part of working at Moderna? 
Hands down, the people. I feel lucky to spend my days with bright, dedicated colleagues. Watching them work together and succeed is energizing for me.

What led you to pursue a career in science specifically? 
I come from a family of engineers and those naturally oriented toward science. I was fortunate to have plenty of support along the way. Small things made a difference, like the physics community that was encouraged in undergrad and mentors who advocated for me.

What does International Day of Women and Girls in Science mean to you? 
It’s a moment to reflect and then a reminder to act. Many of us can have an impact in the course of our day-to-day jobs, for example “leaving the ladder down.”

Where do you find inspiration/new ideas? 
From running into people in the stairwell, from biotwitter, and from shamelessly asking people a lot of questions.

What are your three office/lab must-haves for a successful workday? 
Coffee from A4, laptop charger, and familiar faces.

Which Moderna Mindset do you channel most and why?
We obsess over learning. This isn’t natural for me—in grad school I didn’t view a failed experiment as progress! I’ve come to appreciate this Mindset over the years at Moderna, having the privilege to see our scientists generate results that can feel like roadblocks in the short term but that lead us to deeper understanding and competitive advantage in the long run.

In addition to advancing an important mission to deliver on the promise of mRNA science for patients, Moderna is committed to belonging, inclusion and diversity and creating an environment where everyone can do their best work.

We are proud to be recognized by Science Careers as a top employer (2015-2021) and we’re always looking for smart, talented and passionate people like Rose. Want to join the team? See all open positions and find out more about why it’s good to be at Moderna.