Anika Ruberti: Turning Co-op Experience into a Biotech Career
Portrait of Anika Ruberti. Courtesy photo.
Anika Ruberti, MS ’25, a recent Northeastern University bioengineering graduate, leveraged the school’s Co-op and PlusOne programs to turn a placement at biotech startup Asimov into a full-time role as Research Associate II. She credits her hands-on industry experience and the support of her professors for her success—and has her sights set on eventually becoming a patent lawyer in the biotech space.
Anika Ruberti recently completed her master’s degree in bioengineering at Northeastern through the Plus One program, which she pursued concurrently with her bachelor’s degree in the same field.
Ruberti grew up in a family of engineers: both of her parents are bioengineers, and her older brother is an aeronautical engineer. In her sophomore year of high school, she discovered a fascination with both biology and robotics through her coursework. Connecting those two interests, she set her sights on bioengineering. During high school, Ruberti was also active in Girl Scouts, participating in numerous STEM activities and earning her Gold Award for creating a Google Classroom of biology lessons aimed at younger girls interested in STEM.
Ruberti was initially hesitant to apply to Northeastern. Her father, Jeffrey Ruberti, established the university’s Bioengineering PhD program and holds the title of Distinguished professor there. Despite that reservation, a high school internship convinced her that Northeastern’s Co-op program was a valuable asset—particularly for engineering students seeking real-world industry experience before graduation.
Looking back on her time at Northeastern, Ruberti credits Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies and Teaching Professor Timothy Lannin as one of her most influential mentors. Lannin taught her biomaterials course and served as her Capstone advisor at the end of her bachelor’s degree. She describes him as supportive, kind, and knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic—qualities that made their capstone meetings something she looked forward to rather than dreaded. “He was so proud of us all the time,” she said. “He is really the exemplar of what a professor should be.”
Ruberti and Asimov
Ruberti’s second co-op experience opened the door to both an internship and a career. She joined Asimov in January 2024 as part of the process development team. Asimov is a biotech company that builds tools to program living cells; in her role, Ruberti focused primarily on process optimization and product quality, and also contributed to the company’s purification process alongside the analytical development team.
After her co-op term ended, Ruberti continued with Asimov through a part-time internship as a process development engineer. Throughout her senior year of undergrad and into her master’s program, she worked primarily in a lab support capacity, maintaining bioreactors and conducting shake flask runs. Most recently, Asimov hired her full-time as a Research Associate II in the process development team. In this expanded role, she leads bioreactor operations, designs experiments to improve product quality, and has the freedom to explore new research directions to optimize the company’s products.
Ruberti is grateful for Northeastern’s role in her career development. She notes that the biotech job market is especially competitive right now, given widespread funding cuts across the industry. Having secured a full-time position directly out of her co-op, she said, “I can only thank Northeastern for where I am right now.” She also credits the program with equipping her with practical skills—including time management and a strong foundation in human physiology—that have served her well in the field.
Lessons and Ambitions
Reflecting on her journey, Ruberti has straightforward advice for undergraduate students heading into internships and co-ops: “You’re going to make mistakes, but overall, showing up is 100% of the effort. Just be there, absorb, and learn.” Her own career trajectory is a testament to that philosophy—her consistent effort during her co-op at Asimov ultimately led to her current full-time role. Lastly, she also offered a reminder she leaned on during her most stressful moments: “You’ll always get through it.”
Looking ahead, Ruberti aspires to become a patent lawyer for companies like Asimov. She sees intellectual property protection as essential to scientific progress, believing that “without that protection, things will not happen.” For now, her goal is to deepen her industry expertise before pursuing a law degree. As she continues her work at Asimov, Ruberti plans to bring the same innovative mindset that has defined her academic and professional path to whatever comes next.