The unexpected journey: Why innovators seldom follow straight lines

Leadership and Innovation Track

with Thomas Leitch, 
CTO at KSQ Therapeutics

April 10, 2026 – 12:30 PM
Goodwin 190

Why is it that breakthroughs often originate from people with non-traditional, even unpredictable career paths? The undistinguished clerk in the Swiss patent office who at age 16 left school without a diploma, but within eleven years would author four papers laying the foundation for modern physics. Innovative leaders think differently, and these mindsets create unconventional journeys. Those unconventional journeys, in turn, inspire and shape their futures. The complex challenges of our world require multi-disciplinary teams of problem solvers who cross disciplines and learn on the fly. Together we will explore some famous and not-so-famous examples, including how our guest speaker journeyed frommechanical engineering to the development of leading-edge biological therapies.We will learn how curiosity, adaptability, persistence, and the courage to carve out your own path can uniquely prepare you to illuminate unseen problems, reveal novel solutions, and pioneer our next bold innovations.

Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering alumnus Tom Leitch (BS ’95, MS ’97) is the Chief Technology Officer at KSQ Therapeutics, a clinical-stage CRISPR cell therapy company located in the heart of Boston’s biotech hub. He is a patient-first, team-focused leader with more than 25 years in advanced biologics spanning process development, manufacturing operations, quality, engineering, technology transfer, and supply chain. Prior to KSQ Therapeutics, Tom led bluebird bio’s manufacturing network of ten sites during which time he was instrumental in the regulatory approval of four of the first gene therapy products ever brought tomarket. Tomcame to bluebird bio from Alexion Pharmaceuticals (now AstraZeneca), where he was responsible for manufacturing of rare disease therapies at sites in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Georgia.

Prior to Alexion, Tom spent fourteen years at Merck in positions of increasing responsibility where he worked on vaccinesagainst shingles, chicken pox, and rotavirus gastroenteritis.