Health Technology Internship Inspires Harvey Mudd Student’s Next Steps

The path from the classroom to a career in biotechnology became much more tangible this summer for biology major Aum Pechkamnerd ’27.

As part of Harvey Mudd College’s Innovation Accelerator Laboratory for Emerging Health Technology (EHT), Pechkamnerd spent the summer as an intern at Janux Therapeutics in San Diego, gaining her first experience in the biotech industry. The internship was arranged and sponsored by the EHT team after Janux founder, president and CEO, and Harvey Mudd trustee David Campbell ’85 connected with team members following a 2025 campus talk about his company and career.

“This internship is my first exposure to the biotech industry, and it was a great experience,” says Pechkamnerd, who is interested in making an impact on human health, particularly through cancer immunotherapies.

At Janux, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision-engineered T-cell immunotherapies, Pechkamnerd worked with the chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) team. Her project involved developing an analytical testing workflow that could be adapted for future projects to help ensure the safety of potential therapeutics.

For Pechkamnerd, the experience offered something that can be difficult to replicate in an academic setting: a view of how science moves from an idea toward a potential treatment. Working alongside people in therapeutic discovery, immunology, business and project management, she also saw how varied expertise contributes to developing a therapy.

“It was cool to see science in more hands-on and direct ways,” she says. “All the STEM and humanities, social sciences and arts classes I’ve taken came together for me to discover, develop and improve therapeutics for patients.”

The experience also gave her a new perspective on what working in health technology might look like day to day—a central goal f+62or EHT, which connects students with health technology organizations and professionals while expanding pathways into fields including biotechnology, biomedical engineering and health-related data science.

“Aum demonstrated scientific curiosity, professionalism, and a strong willingness to take on new challenges,” said Manoj Pal, associate director of CMC analytical and formulation development at Janux. “She integrated quickly into the team, rapidly learned new techniques and concepts, and approached scientific challenges with thoughtfulness and enthusiasm.”

Biology Professor Danae Schulz, an EHT co-lead, says these experiences help students explore if industry is the right fit for their interests while building relationships with professionals who can become valuable mentors and connections. “At Janux in particular, students can see first-hand how applying all the technical skills that they work so hard to acquire can have tangible benefits on human health. That impact is powerful. “

Pechkamnerd says the summer experience has already influenced what comes next. “This internship inspires me to continue doing health-related research, potentially both in biotech and grad school.”