Get inspired by what our 不良研究所 genetics and genomics majors are doing in their careers. (Since these alumni were at 不良研究所, the name of the major has changed from 鈥済enetics鈥 to 鈥済enetics and genomics.鈥)
We鈥檙e looking for more contributors. If you earned your undergraduate degree from 不良研究所 and would like to share your career story, contact blog editor Susanne Rockwell at sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.
Scientist in the Applied Genomics Department of Helix
Erick Loomis, 鈥07 B.S., 鈥13 Ph.D. in genetics
Although it is often said a top-tier science education is cut-throat and extremely competitive, for Erick the experience as an undergraduate and graduate student at 不良研究所 was open and welcoming. He says achievement in science at 不良研究所 is based on individual success and the ability to work effectively with other people in labs and science classes.
鈥淭he breadth of my genetics training has been especially useful for finding a job first as a postdoc in cancer epigenetics at Imperial College, and now as an applied genomics scientist at ,鈥 Erick says. (At Imperial College London, Erick was a postdoc in cancer , learning how DNA damage from platinum-based chemotherapy drugs might induce changes contributing to drug resistance in ovarian cancer.)
Helix is a company focused on human DNA research. This startup partners with other companies and organizations 鈥 including and its project 鈥 to bring people information about themselves.
Erick evaluates and develops consumer products based on genetic data. These products answer questions about health, physical traits, populations and ancestry. Erick鈥檚 multidisciplinary job mixes statistics, genomics and research. He must also communicate with science and non-science audiences.
Regulatory Affairs Professional, Agios Pharmaceuticals
Christina Baladi 鈥09 genetics, minor in nutrition science
The goal of , based in Boston, is to make a difference by helping patients find medicines and therapies that will change their lives. Christina is responsible for bringing new therapies for rare genetic disorders to the marketplace as quickly as possible.
She initially planned to use her genetics major and nutrition minor to help fortify crops to address world hunger.
鈥淗owever, as I got more exposure to working in labs through my internships, I wasn鈥檛 entirely sure that lab work was for me,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I began my search for a career opportunity that would allow me to work outside of the lab, but still make an impact in the lives of others.鈥
During her last year at 不良研究所, Christina got an internship in regulatory affairs at . There she immersed herself in regulatory intelligence work, building a database of precedent approvals for different therapies. 鈥淭his allowed me to build a solid foundation to understand what health authorities considered as the basis for drug approvals,鈥 she says.
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