New Chapter Board Member Paul Hanson talks Generative AI, Traveling and the Pharma Industry

The results are in and the new ISPE Boston Board Members have been chosen! We asked all of them some interview questions so that you could get to know them better! 

1. What do you currently do?

I’m Head of Lifecycle management, Innovation, and Systems for Global Manufacturing Sciences at Takeda. My group of 41 talented members manage to achieve a number of spectacular results in global investigations, material qualification, and applied artificial intelligence in CMC business processes.

2. How long have you been in the industry?

I had to think about this. I’m coming up on 17 years.

3. How has your time as an ISPE member benefitted you?

Access to the journal Pharmaceutical Engineering has been a game changer in the applied value of my knowledge.

4. What led you to become an ISPE Board Member?

Two reasons: (1) over the next 5 years roughly 30 million boomers and early Gen-Xers are set to retire. There aren’t enough people coming up behind them to capture that quickly disappearing knowledge. (2) The pharma industry in Mass has doubled in size over the last decade. I’m hoping to contribute to the Board’s ability to prepare our very talented members to capture the opportunities presented in these two macroeconomic changes.

5. What are you most looking forward to in your new role as Board Member?

Connecting with, and growing, our membership.

6. What is your favorite ISPE event that you’ve been involved with?

I was fortunate enough to present at the Facilities of the Future meeting last year as well as at the annual meeting in Europe. Both were epic!

7. What do you like to do when you are not working?

I’ve been building up my skills in wood working (all fingers remain intact!). My wife and I love traveling (we’re heading to Switzerland shortly for Fall hikes in the Alps). I’m also doing a number of experiments (e.g. drug discovery tests) with Generative AI using the M-series processor on my mac mini to explore the potential of edge-GenAI. Lastly, I’ve been on a multi-year health-span journey (aka bio-hacking). The early results have been intriguing but the real results (ie when I hit 80+) will be the real validation of the approach (n=1).