Sarah Martin, PhD, MBA

Early Target Validation & Drug Discovery Enthusiast | UCLA Anderson FEMBA Council President | VP of Strategic Partnerships for UCLA Anderson Healthcare Business Association

Los Angeles, California, United States

About

Experienced industry scientist with a demonstrated history of working in metabolic related effects in oncology and immuno-oncology. I obtained my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in lipid biology, innate immunity, bioactive lipid, and lipid mass spectrometry from University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Followed by postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern focused on characterizing genes that predisposed individuals to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/NASH). I am an NRSA F31 and F32 fellowship recipient. During my time in industry, I have led three exploratory programs to decision points, as well as been co-leads on several other programs.

Experience

  • UCLA Anderson FEMBA Council ()
    • President, FEMBA Council
      May 2025 - Apr 2026 · 1 yr

      Elected as the primary representative to advocate for a cohort of ~800 Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) students at UCLA Anderson. Led the FEMBA Council, overseeing a team of 11 Vice Presidents and 70 council members to ensure strategic alignment across all sub-committees and initiatives. Acted as the key liaison between the student body and UCLA Anderson administration, regularly communicating student needs, priorities, and feedback to drive improvements in the FEMBA experience.

    • VP, Academic Affairs
      May 2024 - Apr 2025 · 1 yr

      Elected representative serving as the primary liaison between the FEMBA student body, faculty, and administration on all academic matters. Led a committee of 15 students in advocating for an exceptional academic experience by collecting and synthesizing student feedback, resolving academic concerns, and increasing transparency around course planning, scheduling, and the Capstone process. Collaborated with Council Affairs on survey design and data analysis to inform strategic decisions. Drove initiatives to promote academic equity, access, and communication across the FEMBA program.

    • Director, Academic Affairs
      Sep 2023 - Apr 2024 · 8 mos

      Elected representative supporting the academic experience of students in the Hybrid section of the Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) program. Acted as a liaison between students, faculty, and administration on academic-related matters specific to the Hybrid format. Gathered and communicated student feedback, helped resolve academic concerns, and supported transparency around course planning, scheduling, and Capstone requirements. Collaborated with the Vice President of Academic Affairs and other Council leaders to align section-level needs with broader program initiatives, promoting equity, access, and clarity across the FEMBA academic experience.

  • VP of Strategic Partnerships, External Development at UCLA Anderson Healthcare Business Association (HBA)
    May 2024 - Apr 2026 · 2 yrs

    Developing relationships with the greater Los Angeles healthcare community to increase awareness of UCLA Anderson and create valuable connections for students.

  • Senior Client Manager at Charles River Laboratories
    Jun 2023 - Apr 2025 · 1 yr 11 mos

  • Senior Scientist at Servier Pharmaceuticals
    Apr 2021 - May 2023 · 2 yrs 2 mos

    Part of the Metabolism and Proteomics teams during the Agios to Servier transition. Transitioned to the Biochemistry group where I oversaw protein production and enzymatic characterization for an immune oncology drug target. I enabled an HTS campaign and built a validated hit cascade which identified several possible hit-to-lead like molecules.

  • Agios Pharmaceuticals (2 yrs 7 mos)
    • Senior Scientist
      Oct 2020 - Apr 2021 · 7 mos

    • Scientist in Cell Metabolism
      Oct 2018 - Oct 2020 · 2 yrs 1 mo