Executive Perspective: Accelerating Therapeutic Access at Just – Evotec Biologics

Lisa Connell-Crowley is Senior Vice President of Process and Product Design at Just – Evotec Biologics. She’s spent her career following her scientific passion and shares how that’s led to making a positive impact on the accessibility of life-saving therapeutics.

Q: Tell us about your current role at Just – Evotec Biologics and how it has evolved from the early days of Just Biotherapeutics.

Connell-Crowley: I’ve been with the company since our founding in 2014, so my role has evolved quite a bit over the years. In the early days of Just Biotherapeutics, I was deeply involved in building many of the core technologies and processes that became the foundation of our platform. As a small startup, everyone wore multiple hats, and I had the opportunity to help shape everything from process development and manufacturing approaches to our broader technology strategy.

After Just joined Evotec in 2019 and became Just – Evotec Biologics, my focus shifted toward leading teams and scaling those capabilities. Today, I lead the Redmond process development organization, supporting late-stage and biosimilar programs while helping prepare the site for commercial operations. I also continue to work closely with others on our technology strategy and engage with current and prospective partners to demonstrate how our platform can help accelerate development and manufacturing of biologic medicines.

Q: Just – Evotec Biologics mission is centered on making biologics more accessible globally. How do innovations in process and product design support this endeavor?

Connell-Crowley: One of the biggest reasons I joined the company was the mission. Biologic therapeutics can be life-changing, but for many patients around the world, they’re simply too expensive or difficult to access. Our goal from the beginning has been to lower development and manufacturing costs through innovative technologies. Throughout my time here, I’ve helped advance highly productive cell lines and intensified manufacturing processes that enable us to produce more product in a smaller footprint. We’ve also implemented flexible, modular facility designs and single-use manufacturing systems that reduce utility requirements, simplify operations, and help control costs.

Our focus on process intensification and flexible manufacturing has positioned the company as an attractive partner for organizations like the Gates Foundation, an early investor, which sought cost-effective ways to produce and make available biologic therapies for infectious diseases around the world. For me, that’s what makes the work so rewarding: combining scientific innovation with a mission to expand access to life-changing medicines.

Q: How do you approach leading teams across highly collaborative disciplines like biology, engineering, process development and manufacturing?

Connell-Crowley: Most scientists aren’t formally trained on leading teams, so I’ve learned by observing leaders I admire who are especially effective at building strong teams and helping people succeed.

One philosophy that has stayed with me is servant leadership. For me, that means creating an environment where people feel supported, empowered, and equipped to do their best work. In a highly collaborative organization like ours, success depends on bringing together people from different disciplines to provide a diversity of perspectives and expertise.

My role is to help remove obstacles, foster collaboration, provide advice and make sure teams have the resources they need to solve complex challenges. Sometimes that’s helping navigate a difficult problem; other times it’s simply taking the time to listen, provide support, or celebrate a team’s accomplishments. When people feel valued and connected to an inspiring mission, innovation and problem-solving are fun.

Q: Where do you see the greatest opportunities for the industry to work together to advance biopharmaceutical manufacturing, such as your involvement in NIIMBL (National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals)?

Connell-Crowley: Our collaboration with NIIMBL focuses on advancing continuous manufacturing for biologics, an area where Just – Evotec Biologics has been a pioneer. While industries like paper, food, and chemicals have used continuous manufacturing for decades to improve efficiency and lower costs, the biologics industry is still in the early stages, particularly at the commercial scale.

NIIMBL provides an opportunity for manufacturers, technology providers, and regulators to collaborate on areas where obstacles remain. We believe that, for some of these obstacles, collective action will really help accelerate the adoption of continuous manufacturing which ultimately helps move the industry forward and expands patient access to these life-saving medicines.

Q: What initially drew you to Washington state and what’s kept you here over the course of your career?

Connell-Crowley: I grew up in Texas but spent summers visiting family in Washington, so I’ve always felt a strong connection to the Pacific Northwest. I moved here for my postdoctoral work at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and never left. It is a beautiful place to live and I feel very fortunate to be part of this tight-knit, innovative life sciences community.

Looking to join Lisa Connell-Crowley and the mission-driven work at Just – Evotec Biologics? Visit Just – Evotec Biologics’ careers page to see open roles.

Sponsored by Life Science Washington and Just – Evotec Biologics.