Biophysical Society Bulletin | May 2022

Career Development

My Journey into a New Field of Research: One Postdoc’s Experience I am a postdoc in the field of cancer biophysics. I’m surprised to find myself

I found that it is important to reach out to colleagues in the early phase of your postdoc to help you adapt and learn about your new field. Don’t hesitate to ask colleagues about new skills you should be learning or questions you have about their careers. You may have your PhD, but you’ll always need your learning spirit. Find a supportive mentor and take advantage of profession- al development. Connecting with the right mentor was an important factor in choosing my current postdoc position. I’m fortunate to have found a mentor who went through a similar transition in her early career: she did her postdoc in biology after earning her PhD in physics. Not only has she been sup- portive of me, but by sharing her experiences she has shown me potential issues to look out for. As I was coming from a background outside biology, she made sure that I was aware of possible errors or optimization processes that I might go through in biology research. I’m also fortunate to have a supportive institution. I’ll admit that in my postdoc search, I only considered my research interest and mentors. I had no idea how important my insti- tution would prove to be. Upon arriving, I was blown away by the many career development programs that are offered for trainees. These programs helped me build skills outside of a specific research area, including my communication skills. Be sure to explore opportunities that may be available through your institution or through your membership in the Biophysi- cal Society. Choose the field that ignites your curiosity and passion. A postdoc can be long and full of frustrations. Find a field that excites you and inspires you to keep searching for answers— that passion will help you stay focused.

here—after all, I earned my PhD in chemistry specializing in single mole- cule fluorescence techniques and other photophysical methods to study newly emerging fluorescence nanoparticles. Although I had absolutely no experience in cell culture and animal models, I was able to transition into this exciting field.

I hope that by sharing my experience, readers may be less intimidated by the idea of working in a new area of science. I became interested in biology after realizing the potential biological applications of nanoparticles—in particular that they could be applicable to diagnostic biosensors or drug delivery due to increased surface area. I began looking for opportunities in biological research that would allow me to continue utilizing photophysical tools and was fortunate to meet my current postdoc mentor. She inspired me to explore cancer biophysics and zebrafish animal models. I’ve come to truly enjoy my postdoc experience and want to highlight what helped me to adjust and settle into a new field. Choose a research area where you can use and grow prior skills. You might be daunted by the thought of branching out to a new area of science after years of dedication to your PhD research. The reality is that, even in a new field, you may find opportunities to use the skills you’ve built over the years. In my PhD work, I gained expertise in single molecule fluores- cence techniques by working with custom-built confocal and TIRF (total internal reflection microscopy). Now in my postdoc, I still get to use those skills but have also learned more about photophysical tools such as optical tweezers to investigate cancer metastasis with zebrafish. I was surprised to find that even while my research subject had changed significantly, I was still able to use and grow my skills in photophysical tools. My PhD gave me a strong foundation on which I was able to learn more about mechanobiology, immunology, animal models, and more.

Your PhD prepares you with professional skills that will take you beyond one straight path. I look forward to seeing where your curiosity takes your scientific career in the future! — Molly Cule Numbers By the In the last five years, BPS has provided 872 travel awards to the Annual Meeting.

May 2022

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