SpeakEasy Science Blog

Abdelrahman “Abdel” Fouda officially launched his long-term academic career as an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock, Arkansas) in the middle of July 2021. Since then, Abdel has been converting an empty lab with just the structural bare-bones basics, recruiting research technicians and postdoctoral fellows, preparing manuscripts based on past research, and writing grants to fund future projects.

There are three Engevik sisters—Kristen, Amy, and Mindy—all of whom chose to pursue academic careers in the field of gastrointestinal research. Here we focus on Kristen, the youngest, who is working on her third year as a postdoc at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas).

Yee Ming Khaw is the first member of her family from Malaysia to attend university and earn both a BS and PhD. When she arrived in Kansas to pursue her undergraduate degree, she was surprised that she didn’t suffer from any “culture shock” other than an initial struggle with her English proficiency, especially in the context of social conversations. Although she had planned to study psychology, Yee Ming realized that her true passion was rooted in the biology of the brain, and she followed that passion throughout her graduate research and into the next phase of her professional career.

Christian Bonatto Paese developed a passion for biology as a youth and is now in the midst of a fellowship in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. His goal is to aid in the development of pharmacological interventions for birth defects in exchange for the more invasive and repetitive surgical solutions that are available today.

Colin Nixon, manager of the Histology core lab at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow Scotland, failed biology at school and was described by most of his teachers as “academically challenged.” They likely would be surprised to see how Colin serendipitously “fell into” the sciences through a government youth training scheme that indicated he had an aptitude for the science, and he has since made a career of it.

When it comes to linking two biomolecules together, the SoluLINK® technology offers a user-friendly solution with reliable and reproducible bioconjugation, which is a great option for what may initially seem to be a daunting task. Jim Williams serves as the Associate Director of Bioconjugation Technology, where he oversees bioconjugation product manufacturing and is highly involved in the design and manufacturing of custom and OEM conjugates.

Jose Ortiz is well on his way to completing a PhD, but his was not an easy journey. This and many other factors have influenced his academic journey as a non-traditional student and person of color.

Earlier this year, Brittany Cederstrom, a research scientist at the Proteogenomic Research Institute for Systems Medicine (PRISM) in San Diego, California sampled VectaMount® Express Mounting Medium in her slide preparation workflow and compared it to her standard process with a competitor mounting medium.

Eric Peterson has long held an interest in the underpinnings of life, found enjoyment in science fiction, and taken a practical approach to career choices rooted in economics. He is not the guy who plotted his career path from start-to-finish; instead, he chose a career in the growing field of technology and was confident that there was a stable market for scientific professionals.

When Courtney Young was a senior in high school, her 15 year old cousin was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This diagnosis provided her with a strong motivation to pursue a future in science, which ultimately led to her interest in muscle biology and associated diseases. Since then, her interest has never faltered and she is now the CEO of gene therapy startup company MyoGene Bio, which focuses on the development of cutting edge genetic therapies for muscle diseases. For Courtney, this initiative continues to be personal, with the hope of someday being able to help her cousin who suffers from DMD, the most common form of muscular dystrophy.