By Sophia Park, Postbac, Translational Autoinflammatory Diseases Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology
The “Alumni Connections” series highlights NIAID fellows who have taken the next step on their academic path. This interview focuses on a former NIAID postbac who transitioned to a graduate program in 2021. Ms. Jessica Chen was a postbac in the RNA Viruses Section in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard Medical School. Read this interview with Jessica to learn about her journey from NIAID to graduate school.
What research were you engaged in at NIAID?
I was a postbac from 2018 to 2021 in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) led by Peter Collins, Ph.D., and Ursula Buchholz, Ph.D. My work at the NIH was directly supervised by Cyril Le Nouën, Ph.D. My research focused on development of live-attenuated vaccine candidates for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major pathogen that is responsible for severe respiratory disease in the pediatric and geriatric populations.
What made you decide to go to graduate school?
When I first started as a postbac, I was really unsure what career path I wanted to pursue. I had and still have many interests. I considered a variety of careers including art/art restoration, medicine, and law. My extraordinary experience as a postbac at the NIH coupled with the encouragement of my mentor, Dr. Le Nouën, is what led me to pursue a career in science. Ultimately, I decided to specifically pursue a Ph.D. in virology because I was interested in research that directly impacts human health and my time at the NIH cultivated my interest in viruses.
What did you consider when selecting your graduate advisor?
There were a lot of factors I took into consideration when choosing my graduate advisor and thesis lab. The following is my abbreviated list when I was selecting a lab:
- Research Interest: This was the most important component in my lab search as I know what type of research I am interested in, largely due to my time at the NIH.
- Relationship with mentor (whether it is the PI or postdoc) and the lab (lab environment): Communication is the key to success. I am a direct person and communicate best if my mentor provides defined instructions. In addition, I was seeking a lab environment where everyone is happy and excited about science. It was also super important to me that the lab environment be collaborative and helpful rather than competitive.
- PI Career Level (new vs. mid vs. late): While this wasn't super important to me, it is good to be aware of what the career level of the PI of the lab is. A newer PI is more likely be available for direct supervision and hands on training, while with a late-stage PI, you are more likely to be working with a staff scientist and/or postdoc. Whether or not the PI has received tenure might also be an important consideration, since you may have to follow your PI to a new institute if they do not receive tenure.
- Size of Lab (small vs. mid vs. large): In a small lab, you might have more hands-on training from your PI whereas in a larger lab, you may be working with postdocs or a hierarchy might be in place. It might also affect the amount of resources you are allocated (time, space, reagents, etc.).
- Work Life Balance/Lab Culture: The lab work culture was important to me because I lean more toward work than life. In terms of fit, it was important to me that I found a lab that matches my level of commitment to the research.
- Funding: If the lab has a lot of funding, you may not have to worry about making purchases. However, if the lab has limited funding, you may need to get creative on how to run your experiments.
The takeaway message is that what is a good mentor for me might not be a good mentor for someone else. So when choosing a lab, make sure it's a great fit for you!
Tell me about your current research project.
My research interests are in adaptive immunity, host-pathogen interactions, and antibody mediated responses. I recently joined my thesis lab, the Wesemann Lab at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women's Hospital. One of my research projects is focused on developing an in vivo mutagenesis system as a vaccine development approach. In short, our lab is trying to express viral antigens on the surface of B cells instead of immunoglobulin and utilize the germinal center (GC) reaction to create a better viral antigen.
Can you talk about your work/life balance and how it has changed since you started graduate school?
My work life balance has always leaned more toward work. I don't think it has changed much during graduate school, but I am more cognizant of taking care of myself—ensuring that my mental and physical health needs are addressed. I also make sure I am not skipping meals because it is so easy to lose track of time when in the lab. My philosophy about lab work has definitely changed in grad school; I am a bit more relaxed about my experiments now, understanding that my samples/experiments will still be there if I take a vacation or leave the lab.
What advice would you give postbacs who are currently applying to graduate school?
I highly recommend utilizing all the NIAID resources available, especially working with Dr. Jennifer West on applications for any professional schools (M.D., M.D./Ph.D., Ph.D., etc.), as well as grants. Jen has helped me with both my Harvard application and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program application, among many others. I am very grateful to her and the training staff at NIAID for their support. They are the best resources for NIAID postbacs in applying for everything.