Biography
EIC Programme Manager for Biotechnology
Trained as a scientist in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland, Gemma Pham has built her career around a simple question: how do promising technologies actually make it into real-world use? After studying at Imperial College London and the University of Toronto, and completing a PhD at ETH Zurich, she moved into roles that sit at the intersection of science, healthcare systems, and innovation.
Over the past decade, Gemma has worked across international organisations, industry, and national healthcare systems, including the World Health Organization, Roche, and the National Health Laboratory in Luxembourg. Across these environments, she has led multidisciplinary initiatives in diagnostics, healthcare operations, and innovation strategy – consistently focusing on how to move from scientific potential to practical implementation.
A central theme throughout her career has been translating complex technologies into solutions that can be effectively deployed in real-world systems. This includes navigating regulatory frameworks, aligning diverse stakeholders, and supporting the transition from research to implementation – particularly in highly regulated and mission-driven sectors such as healthcare and biotechnology.
Alongside her institutional and industry experience, Gemma has contributed to the development of emerging biotechnology initiatives, with a focus on strengthening Europe’s innovation capacity, strategic autonomy, and long-term competitiveness.
What motivates Gemma most is helping promising technologies navigate the difficult path from scientific potential to real-world adoption and societal impact.
As a Programme Manager, she focuses on bridging scientific excellence with regulatory readiness, operational feasibility, and market adoption – helping breakthrough innovations move beyond the laboratory toward scalable, sustainable impact for European citizens and healthcare systems.