With family and friends looking on, the 2026 graduates of BTEC’s Master of Science in biomanufacturing and Master of Biomanufacturing programs were celebrated in a May 8 commencement ceremony at the center. This was the 15^th annual event since BTEC’s first class of graduate students completed their studies in 2012.

Among this year’s 15 graduates, 12 have already secured employment in industry or research. They have accepted positions ranging from an associate scientist to consultants, process and validation engineers, and technical and support specialists. Local employers include CAI, Chiesi USA, the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Eupry, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, Grifols, KBI Biopharma, and Sequence, Inc. T. Christopher Broderick, who earned the Master of Science in Biomanufacturing, serves as the director and chief executive officer of Merakris Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology firm located in Durham.

Peter Berzins, a senior director for Eli Lilly and Company, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. As the global process owner for sterility assurance, he establishes and oversees global quality standards for the firm. A member of the BTEC Advisory Board, he is also active in several industry and community organizations. Naomi Raphaëlle Bouédo was the graduating student speaker; she completed a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering at NC State in 2025 and earned the Master of Biomanufacturing degree this year through the university’s Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program.

Historically, 98% of students completing undergraduate and graduate programs at BTEC who seek employment in biomanufacturing or the life sciences industry find jobs within six months of graduation, with more than 80% remaining in North Carolina for their initial positions. Employers range from local startups to global firms and include Biogen, Merck, Novartis Gene Therapies, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer among many others. BTEC graduates are hired into a range of positions, such as manufacturing associate, process engineer, process scientist or process development associate, associate scientist or research associate, quality control, and validation or CQV (commissioning, qualification and validation) engineer.

BTEC offers a wide variety of academic programs to develop skilled professionals for the biomanufacturing industry. Learn more about BTEC’s academic programs.