Meet Camille Smith: Build the Confidence and Skills to Advocate for Yourself at Work
Learning how to advocate for yourself at work is what ensures your contributions are recognized, supported, and sustained. Camille Smith has learned this firsthand.
Camille will be leading Week 5 of the AdaMarie Career Accelerator, focused on Advocating for Yourself in the Workplace. As a Senior Scientist at GSK, Camille works in upstream process development, optimizing monoclonal antibody production and contributing directly to life-saving therapies. Her career reflects both deep technical expertise and a clear understanding of how self-advocacy shapes growth in high-performance environments.
In her Accelerator session, Camille will help participants build the confidence and clarity needed to speak up for their work, their boundaries, and their career progression, especially in technical spaces where advocacy is often overlooked or misunderstood.
If you’re joining the Accelerator, you’ll learn directly from her. And if you’re curious how resilience, community, and self-trust shape long-term success in STEM, keep reading.
Meet Camille Smith!
Getting to Know You:
Major & Minor – If you went to college!: Chemical Engineering on a Pre-Medical Track with double minors in Biochemical Engineering and Healthcare Ethics
Field of Work: Biopharmaceutical
Expertise In: Upstream Process Development
Current Company: GSK
Job Title: Senior Scientist
One-liner About What You’re Working On: Optimizing processes for monoclonal antibody production
Currently geeking out over: STEM So(ul)cial
STEM Hero: Mae Jemison
Tell us about your professional journey – how did you get where you are now?
During my senior year of college, I took a class called gene therapy and research methods and fell in love with the biology side of chemical engineering. This class sparked my interest in biopharmaceuticals.
After graduating, I started my role as an associate upstream process development scientist, and three years later was promoted to my current position as a senior scientist, spearheading the development of monoclonal antibody medications.
We’re also curious to know your personal story and upbringing. What has made you “you”?
I am in amalgamation of my family, friends and experiences. Knowledge has been very important in my upbringing and has always made me a naturally curious person. I always gravitate towards things that are harder for me to understand.
We know that real life isn’t a smooth and linear journey. What was your initiating moment that led you to your calling - can you tell us about that moment, what helped you move forward, what you learned/discovered?
My junior year of college, I failed chemistry, which wrecked my confidence. Looking back, that experience taught me how to be resilient and understand that everything in life is not necessarily linear.
You work in a performance-driven industry. Where do you find balance?
I take my work life balance, extremely seriously. I’ve made that very clear to my employer that I value my time outside of work and they should too so that I can perform at my best!
You choose one: if you were a part of the human body, outer space, or a scientific process, what would you be and why?
If I was a human body part, I would be skin. Your skin is your largest organ and arguably your most important in protecting you as you live your life.
If I was something in outer space, I would be Jupiter. I’m a Sagittarius ruled by the planet Jupiter, which has to do with luck and expansion!
If I was a scientific phenomena, I would be cohesion. I find it very interesting. That certain liquids can almost defy gravitational forces by adhering to one another!
We would love to feature your work. How can we spread the word about what you’re doing?
STEM So(ul)cial is a global third space for Black aspiring and established STEM professionals! You can find more information about us at our website and on socials (stemsoulcial). I also host a podcast called STEM Talks on Tap which is my effort to make STEM more accessible! It is available on all podcasting platforms.
I am a content creator that makes lifestyle and travel content. I am @iamcamillesmith on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube!
Do you have a favorite motivational quote or song?
Fail forward and fail often.
Any final advice for early-career STEM professionals?
Seek a community of like-minded people as early as you can!
Join a 2026 Accelerator Cohort to learn from Camille!
Camille will be leading Week 5 of the AdaMarie Career Accelerator, focused on advocating for yourself in the workplace and building the confidence to navigate growth, feedback, and opportunity in technical environments.
If you want to join her live session and learn alongside a small cohort of peers, registration for the Career Accelerator is now open. Participants receive access to expert-led sessions, guided discussion, and the broader AdaMarie community throughout the program.
