Is the “traditional postdoc” actually traditional?
Most graduate students who want to pursue the academic route aim to complete a “normal” postdoctoral fellowship in a basic research lab at a prestigious institution. CAMB alumnus Geoffrey Hannigan (GTV) is setting himself apart from others on this path by keeping “all his doors open.” Geof earned his Ph.D. in Dr. Elizabeth Grice’s lab, where he investigated viral communities on the skin in relation to wound healing and open fractures. After defending in 2015, he began his postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan in the lab of Dr. Pat Schloss. As a postdoc, Geof investigates the microbiome of the gut, specifically identifying the viruses in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Geof focuses on developing bioinformatics programs to study viral communities and their effects on colorectal cancer and GI infections. “While a lot is known about bacteria, [the extent of] viral diversity is still fairly unknown. There are [open-source bioinformatics pipelines] like QIIME and MOTHER (written by his current PI) for bacteria, but nothing for viruses.” Geof aims to “establish a niche” for [himself] in the field of virology, perhaps by writing such programs.
While this may seem like the traditional postdoctoral path, Geof isn’t closing the door on industry. He is also a member of the advisory board for Smart Phage, a start-up company that is based in Washington D.C. Smart Phage is developing custom synthetic bacteriophages. These custom bacteriophages are being designed as therapeutic tools to fight potentially antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, as well as for other human microbiome therapies. “Before I came to Penn, I hadn’t thought about industry, but when I came to Penn, I was shown that industry was a viable option so I didn’t want to close that door,” says Geof. He found the Smart Phage advisory position through a former classmate at Penn. He says there is “a lot of potential in the microbiome and virome,” and that even if “you go into academics, there’s always a lot of room to consult with companies. As long as the science is cool, it’s always a good opportunity.” There are many types of jobs “within the category of industry,” muses Geof, so students should not write off the non-academic path until they have “explored it more thoroughly.” This advice especially pertains to students who are undecided about the ultimate trajectory of their career path.
In addition to his postdoctoral research and start-up advising, Geof has been writing a blog since 2013. Through his blog “Prophage,” Geof aims to “provide thoughtful discussion” about current scientific topics in bacterial and viral science and to offer “insight into the life of a biomedical scientist.” His blog posts are thoughtful and knowledgeable accounts about his path to his current position, and they highlight the hottest topics in the bacterial and viral world. Geof was inspired to start a blog by a postdoctoral researcher in the Grice lab, who credited blogging with helping him meet new people and publicizing his research. Geof also says that blogging gives him “experience with writing because you have to keep up the writing constantly.” He recommends that students considering a career in medical writing try blogging as experience to “just write.” He also posts shortened versions of his scientific thoughts on Twitter.
Geof credits his success and desire to pursue research to “a lot of people” he was “fortunate to have in [his] life who exposed [him] to science.” His high school biology teacher, Dave Rowe, was “good at exposing students to the sciences and to all of the opportunities out there.” He was the first to pique Geof’s interest in the “virology stuff [he’s] still doing today.” Geof’s primary career goal is to secure a principal investigator position at a university, but he is keeping his options in industry open with the advising he’s doing with Smart Phage. His sentiment is that going into industry after a postdoctoral experience in academia is easier than going into industry after being a faculty member. He views his postdoctoral research as a “great stepping stone to build up skills and experiences” for either an academic faculty position or a career in industry research.
What are Geof’s wise words for students looking to go into academia, but perhaps also keeping their minds open to industry? “It’s a tough process, finding a postdoc. It’s one of the bigger decisions you will make up to this point in your life. You don’t get to do rotations like in grad school. You get one day to feel the lab out. Find someone you respect and who is doing interesting science.” He also recommends “think[ing] about where you’re going to. When the day is over, what are you going to go do?”
”It’s the most important thing to have passion for what you’re doing,” Geof advises. He acknowledges that it is important to work hard, but “if you’re curious and motivated, the long hours and work will come.” His best advice? “Don’t close doors. Don’t totally write off industry or academia.” Geof offers a great example of the ability to incorporate both paths into one postdoctoral experience.
To hear more from Geof, visit his blog at http://prophage.blogspot.com/ or follow him on Twitter (@iprophage).