AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Exploring careers in biochemistry and molecular biology A resource for undergraduates American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Introduction 3 A diverse field 4 Careers in biochemistry and molecular biology 10 Career prospects 11 Preparing for a career in biochemistry and molecular biology 12 Undergraduate training 14 Graduate training 15 Postdoctoral training 16 The role of professional societies in your career 18 Resources 19 References American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology INTRODUCTION Why do living things age? Why do skin and blood cells continue growing and dividing throughout a human life while neurons do not? How can cancer cells multiply unrestricted? Carol Greider, cell nucleus. Telomeres protect the Ph.D., is a chromosome ends from degradation biochemist but shorten each time a cell divides. who has spent When they reach a critical length, much of her the cell stops dividing. Carol and her life working on colleagues discovered the enzyme these questions. telomerase, which lengthens telomeres, Carol grew up allowing cells to continue dividing. in California This is especially important for and attended the University of continuously multiplying skin and blood California, Santa Barbara, where she cells. However, overactive telomerase majored in biology.1 After college, can also contribute to cancerous Carol decided to pursue graduate cell growth. Today, biochemists and studies at the University of California, molecular biologists are working in Berkeley, where she earned her Ph.D. cross-disciplinary teams to develop in molecular biology. When she was cancer treatments to block telomerase. 24 years old, Carol discovered a Carol’s research, which she protein that revolutionized the fields of now conducts at Johns Hopkins biochemistry and molecular biology. University,2 is only one of many She and her colleagues received the exciting investigations in the field of 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or biochemistry and molecular biology. Medicine for the discovery. Biochemists and molecular biologists Let’s take a closer look at Carol’s work on diverse topics, including finding. DNA and proteins are human health, agriculture and the packaged into chromosomes in the environment. They work in research 2 A DIVERSE FIELD Biochemists and molecular biologists study life at every level, from individual molecules to ecosystems. Biochemistry is the study of chemical properties of biologically important molecules and of chemical reactions in living organisms. labs, boardrooms, classrooms and Molecular biology is the study of life even the White House. This diverse group seeks to better understand the at the molecular level, with a focus on processes that control living organisms understanding how genetic material and apply their discoveries to improve leads to life. While these two disciplines society. developed separately, they are now very As important as Carol’s discovery closely related with overlapping skill sets was, there are many equally important and career paths. discoveries waiting to be made: How do bacteria resist death after exposure Biochemists and molecular biologists are to antibiotics? What goes wrong in the interested in the structures and chemical brains of Alzheimer’s patients? How functions of cellular components such as can we make crops more resistant to proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic drought and disease? acids and other biomolecules. They are You are part of the next also interested in interactions among the various systems of the cell, including generation of scientists who will the processes of DNA replication and answer these questions and any transcription, protein translation and others you can imagine. synthesis and their regulation. By studying how the foundational life processes work, biochemists and molecular biologists are at the forefront in investigating how cells and organisms develop, live, die and interact with one another. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 3 CAREERS IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY As you explore the world of biochemistry and molecular biology, consider the diverse career paths open to scientists in this field. Many biochemists perform scientific research in university research labs, industrial labs and government labs. Other biochemists work outside the lab for companies, nonprofit organizations and the government. The following are excerpts from the ASBMB member magazine, ASBMB Today, which will help you gain a better understanding of the different careers open to biochemists and molecular biologists. Career: academic scientist 3 Name: Michael Snyder, Ph.D. Undergraduate degree: B.A. in chemistry and biology from the University of Rochester Graduate degree: Ph.D. in biology from the California Institute of Technology Dr. Michael Snyder is the fifth of three boys and For example, during the project, Mike’s three girls and grew up in Pennsylvania dairy data began to display the telltale signs of land. He credits his interest in science to his diabetes, with which he was later diagnosed. mother and a high school chemistry teacher. The experiment now has Mike interested After applying to several undergraduate in studying people who are known as schools, the University of Rochester offered him prediabetic. “We hope to learn what triggers a scholarship. “We didn’t have a lot of money,” this conversion and what the final disease says Mike, “so I went there.” profile looks like. We also want to learn why some people respond to some drugs and After becoming a professor at Stanford others do not,” Mike says. University, Mike led a project that catapulted him into the headlines of science media Mike’s enthusiasm for science is unrestrained. outlets. Mike and his team gathered many “Every morning, I tell my kids, ‘I’m going to types of biological data from one person fun!’ They always tease me back and say, (himself) to see what kinds of information ‘No, you’re not. You’re going to work!’” says could be obtained by integrating the statuses Mike. But he truly means it when he calls of thousands of molecules at once. work fun. “That’s why I do science. I love it.” – Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay The project yielded results that couldn’t be seen with standard clinical diagnostics. 4 Career: professor at a primarily undergraduate institution Name: Takita Felder Sumter, Ph.D. Undergraduate degree: B.S. in chemistry from the University of South Carolina Graduate degree: Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of South Carolina Dr. Takita Sumter’s interest in science started factors, supporting her work with funding in seventh grade when she won the science from the National Institutes of Health and fair. She said, “I was excited. I don’t think the National Science Foundation. Takita I realized I was good at science.” The also teaches several chemistry courses, experience encouraged Takita to take more including biochemistry, and works to improve science classes in high school, including biochemistry education across the U.S. chemistry, which she loved and chose as her Takita recommends that undergraduates undergraduate major. pursuing graduate education develop a Takita was initially interested in a career in general career plan before going to graduate the pharmaceutical industry and completed school. She said, “If you know what inspires a postdoctoral fellowship in order to pursue you from the beginning, it will keep you that path after earning her Ph.D. However, going when times feel more difficult than they after mentoring undergraduates in the lab, should be.” Although your plan may change she realized she found teaching and working over time, she said, “Getting the Ph.D. will with younger scientists most enjoyable. open up so many opportunities that you may Today, Takita leads a research team of never have considered.” – Erica Siebrasse undergraduates in studying transcription American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 5 CAREERS IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Career: industry scientist 4 Name: Saurabh Sen, Ph.D. Undergraduate degree: B.S. from the University of Calcutta Graduate degrees: M.S. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki Dr. Saurabh Sen harnessed his biochemistry His interest in GPCRs led him to Lucigen training to build a successful career in Corporation. Remarking about his feelings industry. Saurabh was born and raised in on working in industry, Saurabh said, “One India. After completing a Ph.D. in Finland, of the things that I love best about working he went to the United States to complete at Lucigen is the chance to participate in postdoctoral research. In graduate school innovative and exploratory research projects, and during part of his postdoctoral training, marketing efforts and business development. Saurabh worked with G-protein–coupled Being a small company, we are a well-built, receptors (GPCRs). “To transform a GPCR cohesive family -- all working together to do project into a success story is my dream. good science and deliver novel products to the These receptors are the broadest target in scientific community.” He continued, “Coming the pharmaceutical industry. More than 50 to work every morning with the challenge of percent of the currently available prescription discovering a novel solution for an unsolved drugs target GPCRs, making them the most scientific problem keeps me on my toes for the sought-after drug class,” said Saurabh. whole day.”