Salve Therapeutics Founder and CEO Stefan Lukianov, M.S., joins us to share his intriguing journey from childhood aspirations to his current role in the biotech startup scene!
The episode starts with a lighthearted exploration of Stefan's childhood dreams, from wanting to be an archaeologist to briefly considering a career as a disc jockey. However, science remained a consistent interest, sparked by a memorable G.I. Joe episode that introduced him to the world of DNA.
Stefan shares insights into the unique dynamics of managing people in a startup environment, highlighting the challenges of enforcing accountability and setting job roles. He reflects on the self-selection process within the team, where those aligned with the venture's vision naturally emerged as active contributors.
Full Transcript Available on Buzzsprout
Our Sponsor for this Episode
Benchling creates the software that powers the biotechnology industry. More than 200,000 scientists at over 1,200 companies globally — from cutting-edge start-ups to 20+ of the 50 largest global biopharma — rely on the Benchling R&D Cloud as their central source of truth for scientific data, analysis, and collaboration. Benchling is on a mission to accelerate scientific progress through advanced software that's purpose-built for biology.
To learn more, visit: Benchling.com
Take our Survey
We want to hear from YOU to ensure that we keep providing valuable content that reflects what our listeners and the SLAS community are interested in! Take our brief survey
Stay connected with SLAS
About SLAS
SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building.
SLAS2026 International Conference & Exhibition
- February 7-11, 2026
- Boston, MA
SLAS Europe 2026 Conference and Exhibition
- 19-21 May 2026
- Vienna, Austria
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com