TIBBS Career Blitz Career Profile Questionnaire
Career Profile:
What is your current title and how long have you worked in your current job?
Professor of Cell Biology and Biochemistry; Associate Dean of Research Training.
Where did you get your PhD and what discipline was it in?
University of Pennsylvania, Biochemistry and Biophysics
Did you do a postdoc?
Yes, a five year post-doc at Rockefeller University, with Günter Blobel.
What are your main daily responsibilities?
Oversee the training and research in my laboratory, prepare grant applications, write manuscripts, organize and teach graduate and medical school courses (faculty); develop programs and necessary infrastructure to enhance and diversify biomedical graduate training and career outcomes (Assoc. Dean)
What are the keys to success in your career field?
An unwavering fascination and curiosity with basic research, specifically, understanding the structure, organization and regulation of eukaryotic cells, has been, I feel, the single most important key to success. Closely linked to fascination and curiosity are ambition and dedication, and by this I mean wanting to make research a career, wherever it was to take me, and committing to it, because I have always found it remarkably rewarding, long hours, bruising grant and publication demands, and the such notwithstanding.
What were the most important factors in choosing your career path?
Identifying research opportunities and mentors that strongly complemented my interests and strengths, and provided opportunities to improve on weaknesses.
What activities (if any) did you participate in that helped you be successful in obtaining your job?
Attend scientific conferences, present research, engage, collaborate, embrace.
What 1 or 2 pieces of advice do you have for people who want to land a job like yours?
1) Find a mentor who is both candid and inspirational – the academic career path is a bumpy road and so candid advice, with a message of inspiration, is very valuable.
2) Learn resilience.