Seeking Sustainable Solutions
College, Gilead Sciences Team Up to Tackle Global Environmental Challenges
The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the corporate operations team at Gilead Sciences have established a three-year partnership that will focus on educating and training the next generation of diverse, interdisciplinary leaders in sustainability science and solutions.
The Gilead Sciences Sustainability Partnership is part of the company’s corporate operations strategy to address sustainability challenges and opportunities within the company. One reason Joydeep Ganguly, Gilead’s senior vice president of Corporate Operations, was excited to partner with Cal Poly was because of its Learn by Doing approach to problem-solving.
“We were looking for institutions that could provide the academic perspective and practical, applied solutions,” Ganguly said. “Cal Poly is unique in California for its hands-on approach to learning and the professional training they offer their students.”
During the next three years, Cal Poly faculty and students will collaborate with Gilead leaders to address some of the sustainability challenges and opportunities facing the company, including minimizing their effect on climate change and lowering their consumption of natural resources.
The partnership seeks to identify, support and recruit students with a demonstrated interest in sustainability sciences and create opportunities for Gilead leaders to engage with Cal Poly as advisors, project hosts, internship supervisors and mentors.
Made possible through a charitable gift from Gilead Sciences, the partnership supports scholarships, internships, undergraduate research and an executive-in-residence program that will bring Gilead leadership to campus for weeklong visits — once coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted — allowing students and faculty to interact and collaborate with industry leaders.
“For Cal Poly and Gilead Sciences, sustainability is at the core of how we engage people, partners and society,” said college Dean Andy Thulin. “Through this exciting new partnership, we hope to find solutions with both local and global impact.”
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