Mitacs Accelerate intern models success for her future

Vivien Lo was hired by her partner company through Mitacs Accelerate internship

Through a Mitacs Accelerate internship at the end of her Masters at Simon Fraser University, Vivien Lo was asked to  develop a cost-benefit model for their technology— a challenge which landed her a job with the company full-time.

Having already completed Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Cellular Biology, Vivien found herself craving an entry into industry. This led her to SFU’s 2-year Masters of Business Administration for the Management of Technology (MBAMOT) program where she was awarded a Mitacs Accelerate internship for a graduating final project in the fall of 2011. 

At the same time, Vivien began a contract working for SFU’s 4D Labs, a facility which iDme uses for research and development.  Her internship helped to strengthen the ties between iDme and 4D Labs, as well as providing valuable business insight for the iDme’s potential manufacturing plans.

So valuable, in fact, that Chief Technology Officer for iDme Technologies, Clint Landrock, offered her a job as their Business Development Coordinator saying, “Vivien learned quickly and adapted well to our team, so after her Mitacs Accelerate internship it became a natural fit to offer her the position with the company.”

As part of her job with iDme, Vivien will be helping the company to implement the cost analysis model that she developed during her internship across all of their technology products. The Mitacs Accelerate internship provided an indispensible experience for both the company and for Vivien who will now enter into a new phase of her professional life. “Mitacs helps academics to bridge between companies and their research; it was like a trial run for me.”

Mitacs wishes Vivien the best of luck in her new career with iDme Technologies!

Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia for their support of the Accelerate research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Accelerate program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and Research Manitoba.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca

Mitacs Team

Mitacs’s website content is created by people throughout our organization, united in their passion for innovation and eager to share their perspectives with others in the innovation ecosystem. 

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