After earning a science degree and having a variety of jobs in different industries for 10 years, Jennifer Rangelov (M.I.S. ’22) returned to school to take her career to the next level.

Rangelov graduated from the Biomedical Science and Enterprise master’s program in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences in December 2022. She now works as a business development manager at MVA Scientific Consultants, a full-service analytical microscopy laboratory that offers customized analytical testing, investigative analysis, and research and development support.

The Duluth, Ga.-based company uses professional microscopes and instruments, such as electron microscopes and spectroscopes, to investigate and analyze advanced materials, foreign particulate and more. The company’s clients work in research and development, quality assurance and control, and the environmental, health and safety sector in the pharmaceutical, medical device, environmental hygiene and consumer goods industries.

MVA Scientific Consultants helps clients identify unknowns and provides answers about product failures and patent infringements, as well as forensic analysis, regulatory submissions and technical feasibility studies, Rangelov explained.

“I am responsible for sales and marketing, a client-facing role,” Rangelov said. “The projects that clients come to us for are all unique. For sales, I provide account management services, including providing quotes in order to align client needs with our capabilities. For marketing, I strategize to find leads by optimizing our website and increasing engagement via social media and email campaigns.”

Rangelov said she enjoys “being surrounded by passionate and knowledgeable colleagues” who are experts in their field.

A native of Suwanee, Ga., Rangelov is the first in her family to attend college or pursue a science, medicine or research career. Rangelov earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2013 and decided to return to school to learn new skills.

“I made the right decision to go back to school after working in the industry for 10 years,” Rangelov said. “A lot of the classes from the IBMS program were very valuable, especially the project management and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute (ENI) classes.”

The entrepreneurship classes taught important lessons about marketing and refining a company’s brand, such as how to differentiate from other businesses and bring value to customers, she explained.

At Georgia State, Rangelov also participated in research and internships that were beneficial when applying for jobs after graduation. Throughout the master’s program, she was a graduate research assistant in Professor Sang-Moo Kang’s laboratory.

“Part of the interview process at MVA Scientific Consultants is to present a capstone project,” Rangelov said. “In my presentation, I incorporated tools from the entrepreneurship classes, such as a customer journey map, value proposition canvas and business model canvas. I introduced the tools and illustrated them with examples from the projects that my classmates and I worked on, in addition to the published work from Dr. Kang’s lab.”

During the summer of 2022, she completed an internship at Avantor, a products and services distributor for the science industry, as a customer service representative. She was later hired to work in the company’s network services department and assisted project managers with process improvement projects.

Rangelov recommends students ask their professors and the guest speakers in their classes lots of questions. These experts are great resources who can offer valuable advice and guidance, she said.

“With this current job, I am now using my education, including my M.I.S. degree, and all the knowledge I collected from the various industries,” Rangelov said. “I am able to understand the client better, ask good questions and help them with their project. Additionally, I get the opportunity to engage with my colleagues about the latest industry trends.”