This week I sat down with my P.I., the lovely Dr. Ann Marie Pendergast, for an interview about her journey to a happy, successful career in the sciences.
What was your childhood like and how did it shape your career path?
My father was a diplomat who represented the United States in many Latin American countries. Growing up my teachers were very excellent and extremely focused on science, so I always knew I would do something with science. Although when I was little I didn’t think I would get my PhD, I thought I would be an astronaut or something.
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
Because of my strong background in the sciences, when I came to the University of Michigan for undergrad I decided to major in Chemistry, and it came to me easily. And chemistry is fun, but when I took classes in molecular biology in my last year, I found that even more interesting. So I got my undergraduate degree in biochemistry, and then my PhD in molecular biology from University of California at Riverside.
Did you ever consider doing anything besides getting your PhD?
No, I had no doubts. A lot of my family members are MDs, and while I admire their work in caring for people, it seems like they always have the same routine–they do the same thing over and over. With my work we’re always moving forward and doing something new.
How did you come to find the project that became your PhD thesis?
I did a lot of reading on my own and protein kinases kept showing up. Protein kinases were known to regulate a huge number of processes, and when I was in college they were beginning to understand the links between these kinases and oncogenes. It was all very exciting and new, so I wanted to be a part of studying that interface.
How did you get started with your career after graduating?
I did my postdoctoral fellowship at the UCLA with Owen Witte. I knew of him through all the reading that I did, because back then everyone knew everyone in the field. Nowadays there are so many people working on the same things that not everyone knows “who’s who.” Owen’s mentor was David Baltimore, who discovered the Abelson kinases that I work on now. Owen was his postdoctoral fellow, and he discovered the BCR-ABL oncoprotein that has become the poster child for targeted cancer therapy. His work was unparalleled, and on top of that, he was more energetic and enthusiastic than anyone else I was considering.
Did you set any goals for yourself when you were starting out?
My mentor, my mentor’s mentor, his mentor… we have this sort of family tree, where you have a path set by those who came before you. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to find out, but I knew that I wanted to build off of their work.
What do you like to do in your time outside the lab?
As a child I travelled a lot, so I like that being in science allows me to travel all over the world. I have been in over a half a dozen countries in Europe, Japan, Germany, South America… all for my work. Science is becoming a lot more international, so a lot of our meetings are held abroad. It used to be that we were the center for research, but support for science in the United States isn’t as strong anymore, so other countries are catching up.
Have you ever doubted your choice to become a researcher?
No, not at all. In my experience, the ones who don’t do well are the ones who don’t put in 100%. There are some people who expect to become successful by magic, without giving it their all. And they’re the ones who end up disappointed.
Is there anything you wish you could change about the way biomedical research is conducted?
Because science is so international now, I think it should be easier to form pipelines to other institutions. Collaboration should be easier… Some of my colleagues have connections with Montreal, Germany, Spain, and their work ends up being even better because of it.
What has been the best moment of your career so far?
I think the postdoctoral fellowship is the most fun time in the life of a scientist. And that’s because you can just focus on the science… You don’t have to worry about administrative stuff, or writing grants, you can just do the science.
What are your goals for the future?
Our goals are to do the best science that we can. My goal is to train the best people possible, really invest in them so that they can be successful. That’s what makes the difference, and that’s how you continue to do really high-level science. It’s all about the people.
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From my interview with Dr. Pendergast I learned that two things are absolutely essential for a career in science: the ability to foster meaningful, long-lasting relationships, and a willingness to read a lot. Hopefully I’ll accomplish both and more this summer.
