Tag Archives: #postdochat

Away from home: Blending in to stand out

Posted on by

The ‘Away from home‘ blog series features promising young Indian postdocs working in foreign labs. They recount their experience of working in foreign lands, the triumphs and challenges, the cultural differences and what they miss about India. They also offer useful tips for other Indian postdocs headed abroad. You can join their online conversation using the #postdochat hashtag.

Our ‘Away from home’ interactive map features 48 bright Indian postdocs from around the world. Write to us at npgindia@nature.com to suggest names of postdocs from countries and disciplines we haven’t covered yet.

Raj Rajeshwar Malinda, a post-doctoral cell and developmental biologist at the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB), Okazaki, Japan has visited close to 40 countries and worked in some of them. A PhD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and a biotechnology masters from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India, Raj draws from his rich experiences from around the world to suggest it’s best to blend in to appreciate different cultures.

Raj Rajeshwar Malinda

Decoding the cellular language

Life on Earth began with a single cell and evolved into very complex organisms such as humans. The cell is the smallest functional unit of life – the “building block” that contains all necessary information for survival. Though cell biology studies got a boost in the late 17th century with the advent of the microscope, we still don’t have ample information on how life managed to survive on Earth. A lot more information is needed to decode the cellular language of life and this mystery led me into the world of cell biology.

I love getting even the tiniest bit of information on cells and their behavior. To understand complex cellular dynamics, I combined knowledge from my cell biology PhD with developmental biology for a joined up approach towards answering questions on how life survives during development.

My journey began from a small rural town in India called “Neem ka Thana” and got me to Okazaki, a small town in Japan via many metropolitan cities across the globe. While I was still a masters student of biotechnology at the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur, India, I got a chance to meet several Nobel Laureates at a conclave. This was one of the factors that motivated me to pursue a career in research, discovery and innovation.

During my PhD at the University of Copenhagen, I was mainly focused on cellular mechanisms regulating disassembly of primary cilia (a sensory organelle found on cell surface, important in embryonic development and homeostasis) using mammalian cultured cells as a model system. In my post-doctoral tenure at NIBB, Japan, I have been investigating the regulatory mechanisms responsible for collective cell behaviour during early development of vertebrates using Xenopus laevis as a model organism, with special focus on the mechanistic properties.

Japan: An incredible mix of tradition and advancement

Besides science, I am fascinated by the diversity of people – races, cultures, languages and religions – around the world. Moving to Japan was a big decision – from Denmark in the west to the east. However, this transition was pretty smooth for me, having assimilated experiences from my travel to more than 40 countries around the globe. Despite all that I have seen, Japan is very different, very unique, truly an incredible country blending tradition and scientific advancement beautifully. Discipline, attention to detail, dedication, politeness, hospitality, punctuality and respect for the past – these were the Japanese hallmarks that made me fall in love with the country instantly.

However, language was a big issue since people, especially in the countryside, hardly spoke other foreign languages. The language barrier could isolate you from the mainstream of Japanese culture. But foreigners usually find their way around this challenge. I especially love the Japanese festivals, with each prefecture celebrating different ones around the year.

Life becomes easier for foreigners when they embrace local culture and try blending in seamlessly. Indians do carry a lot of cultural baggage many times and often stick to Indian friends. I personally feel one could be true to one’s culture but should also try to appreciate local cultures. It’s also good to make friends outside the lab and outside one’s own community.

After all, a postdoc abroad is an intensive learning phase that teaches you many important survival skills.

Tip for PhD and postdoc aspirants

  • PhD should be complemented by productive research papers — they help get good postdoc positions abroad.
  • Don’t be shy to ask for help from your PhD mentor. They are experienced in the field and have good network in the community.
  • Your research interest should always be key while choosing for a postdoc position because that’s what matters in the end. The lab matters too, since you have to spend a fair amount of time there doing research. Choosing a postdoc position abroad might be a turning point in your research career, so choose the lab and country wisely.
  • External sources of funding or fellowships always add an extra advantage. So try to secure one, for example, the JSPS postdoc fellowship in Japan, EMBO or Marie Curie fellowship for Europe, INSPIRE Faculty scheme in India (it gives you a chance to learn in foreign lab for a couple of years) and other country-specific postdoc fellowships.
  • Keep a good work-life balance, otherwise research could end up being stressful and depressing.
  • Don’t lose the enthusiasm and focus while doing your research abroad — it’s easy get derailed in a different working and living culture. If the data isn’t favouring your hypothesis, troubleshoot and ask your mentor or lab members.
  • Funding is a big issue among postdocs, so try to remain up to date with available resources and grants.
  • Don’t try to think of a long running postdoc (i.e. another postdoc after your postdoc), your post-postdoc priorities should be clear — academia or industry. At any point during your postdoc, if your choices are starting to shift from academics to industry, go ahead with the idea without delay and ask for a recommendation from your present mentor.
  • Try to network. In the end, these are the people you will see most often – through their research papers or in conferences and meetings.
  • Try writing grant applications because the skill will be really helpful after your postdoc. It becomes hard to survive in the research field without knowing how to write grant applications. It will also improve your scientific writing, which I personally find very difficult.
  • Push yourself a bit to acquire experiences beyond research. For example, participate in leadership seminars, try organising small institutional seminars or workshops, invite people from time to time to the lab and talk about your interests.

India: Unconditional love

India is a great country – diverse, culturally-rich, enthusiastic and warm – and that’s the reason every Indian misses the country in a foreign land. I miss my family and friends and the late summer-night conversations under an open sky over cups of tea. The sight and sound of kids screaming as they play in the muddy streets is something I deeply miss.

Being a foodie, I miss Indian street food from different parts of the country —the samosa and dahi-papdi from Rajasthan, pav-bhaji from Maharashtra, home-made lassi from Punjab, chaat from Delhi and masala-dosa from south India. Mangoes and rasgullas are always on my priority list, so wherever I get them I buy, even if at a premium.

[Raj Rajeshwar Malinda is also associated with the biomedical journal eLIFE and advises ASAPbio (Accelerating Science and Publication in Biology). He volunteers free career counselling and can be reached at therajsmile@gmail.com.]

Away from home: Visa tips for postdocs to US

Posted on by

Here’s bringing you a new story in the ‘Away from home‘ blog series. In this series, we feature promising young Indian postdocs working in foreign labs. The postdocs featured here recount their experience of working in foreign lands, the triumphs and challenges, the cultural differences and what they miss about India. They also offer useful tips for other Indian postdocs headed abroad. You can join their online conversation using the #postdochat hashtag.

Our ‘Away from home’ interactive map now features 44 bright Indian postdocs from around the world. Please feel free to suggest names of postdocs from countries and disciplines we haven’t covered yet.

Today, it’s Sneha Rangarajan, a postdoc at the Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, USA. Sneha completed a masters in biotechnology from the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College in Mumbai, India before enroling in a PhD programme at SUNY Albnany, New York. She offers some some practical tips to postdocs in times when there have been concerns about visas to the US.

Sneha Rangarajan

Sneha Rangarajan

Biotechnology: A fascinating cocktail

It was that time of my life when I had to make a career choice after 12th grade – a choice between the “popular” like IT/engineering, especially since my grades would get me into a good programme, or the new bachelors programme in biotechnology that our college had just introduced. I chose biotechnology simply because it seemed like a fascinating cocktail of my interests and I didn’t want to do choose a career just because everybody else was choosing it. During the three years of bachelors programme, I learnt a lot about molecular biology principles which made me realize that I took the right decision. Later, I did a masters in biotechnology from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College in Mumbai.

It was around the same time that I became aware of the US as a land of opportunities for the field I had chosen. Several of my senior colleagues had enrolled in PhD programmes doing cutting edge research on topics I had studied only in theory. I also learnt that if you get accepted in a PhD programme your tuition fees most likely gets waived. This was a very important piece of information since I did not want my father to spend an enormous amount of money on my education abroad.

Another key factor was my parents’ permission to let me go to the US considering I had never stayed away from home and was now talking about going thousands of miles away. I still remember how pleasantly surprised I was when my dad said if it is for education and the prospects of a bright future, he would be happy to let me do so. And that is how I reached Albany, New York.

Turning theory into practice

I remember being truly excited over actually performing a PCR, something I had learnt only in theory. With my masters in India, I had a solid background in the basics of molecular biology and biochemistry.

As it turned out, I could transfer credits from similar courses I had taken in the Indian university. Not many people are aware of this possibility but it is a huge time saver! You can bypass the same courses and spend time and effort on learning new and interesting things instead. I transferred almost all of my basic courses and was able to enroll directly in advanced level courses in the first year itself. I joined Dr. Joachim Jaeger’s lab of crystallography, where I learnt a great deal of analytical skills along with the ‘art of troubleshooting’.

After PhD, I moved to the Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, for a postdoc with leading structural immunologist Dr. Roy Mariuzza. My work focuses on vaccine development against Hepatitis C virus (HCV). I express and purify various HCV antigens from mammalian cells to identify the best candidates with increased neutralization potency against the virus.

I like the diversity in my work place and the fact that you get to learn a little bit about languages and cultures across the world. One thing I absolutely like about this country is that you could major in music and biology at the same time or could to university at 50 and nobody will raise an eyebrow. You are limited only by your own imagination!

Of ‘Good Mornings’ and weather shocks

The transition into a new culture and environment was made easier by the people around me. My PhD mentors were kind and helpful, always going out of their way to help students, especially the international ones, in adjusting to the new environment.

Moreover, I always found it interesting to discover differences – be it in the English language or the professor-student relationship or the norms of interaction in society, all of which differ from what we are used to in India. I still remember my experience taking a bus to the University campus where the bus driver politely greeted me with a “Good morning” as I got in and people thanking him as they got down. I liked the idea and imagined how it would be if I did this in India (would this make his day?).

However, depending on which part of USA you are coming to, you could be in for a major “weather shock”. I personally prefer the cold but sub zero temperatures may not be everybody’s cup of tea.

My postdoc tips

  • If you have an idea about what you want to do research-wise and have been unable to achieve that because of lack of means, then this is the place to be. In USA, there are tremendous opportunities and it is up to you how you use it to achieve your goals.
  • One practical visa tip in these times when there have been some concern about visas to the US. I am not sure if many of you know but you can now extend your Optional Practical Training (OPT) to as much as 24 months as opposed to the 17 months earlier. You can do that by using the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) extension. When I finished PhD, I did not get my OPT extended using STEM extension because I wasn’t aware of any advantages to doing so. But now, looking back, I can tell you that it was a mistake. Extending your OPT gives you the option of switching to an industry job if you so desire without worrying about a H-1B visa since the company doesn’t have to file for your H-1B until those 24 months. If you choose to continue in academics, it serves to increase your time in the US since you now have those 2 years plus your H-1B tenure.
  • Don’t wait for an advertisement. I did not. Just email the investigator whose work you like and describe how you would be a good fit to his/her lab and if they have the funding, you may just get accepted, like me!
  • Don’t be afraid to apply to labs that don’t exactly match your previous work. As long as you have a genuine interest and willingness to learn, people are usually open. Try to widen your skill set, that way you also broaden your future opportunities.

On returning home

I take one step at a time. For now, I see myself being here and making a mark in my research field. We are making huge strides in the field of vaccinology and if things go as planned, we should be able to enter clinical trials for the HCV vaccine in the next couple of years. Also, at this point, the infrastructure for my line of work is not very developed in India but who can say, in a few years things might be different.

As of now, I do miss my family and the street food. While there are a tons of Indian stores and restaurants that continue to surprise me with the variety, nothing can beat the vada pav or chaat from the streets of India!

 

Away from home: CRISPR and I

Posted on by

After a gap, our  ‘Away from home‘ blog series is buzzing again. Here we feature promising young Indian postdocs working in foreign labs. The postdocs featured in the series recount their experience of working in foreign lands, the triumphs and challenges, the cultural differences and what they miss about India. They also offer useful tips for other Indian postdocs headed abroad. You can join their online conversation using the #postdochat hashtag. 

Our ‘Away from home’ interactive map now features 43 bright Indian postdocs from around the world. Please feel free to suggest names of postdocs from countries and disciplines we haven’t covered yet.

Today, we hear from Samrat Roy Choudhury, a postdoctoral fellow at the Myeloma Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), USA. Samrat, an alumnus of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, tells us about his pathbreaking work in CRISPR-based gene editing, its implications in cancer therapeutics, his first snow experience in the US and his tough journey to reach there.

Samrat Roy Choudhury in front of the Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University, USA.

Samrat Roy Choudhury in front of the Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University, USA.

Always loved science

Science, particularly biology and chemistry, were my favourite subjects in middle and high school. I aspired to become a high-school teacher or a college lecturer. When most of my classmates opted for engineering or medicine as careers, I chose the longer path.

Late Prof. Swapan Das at Kolkata’s Asutosh College was my inspiration in biological sciences. After a Zoology masters from University of Calcutta, I got a chance to work at the lab-bench of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata. The experience was fascinating and convinced me to pursue research as a career – I enjoyed designing experiments, executing them and using analytical skills to interpret data. It’s empowering to think that my research might make a small but powerful impact in the way we combat diseases.

During my PhD in nanobiotechnology at the Biological Sciences Division of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, I got the chance to design and develop several nanoparticles and nano-conjugates of antimicrobial implications. I was amazed to see how the same chemical elements behaved dramatically differently at nano-level compared to their micronized state. I was fortunate to meet and work with several eminent physicists and biologists, such as Prof. Dipankar Chakravorty (IACS) and Prof. Ratanlal Brahmachary (ISI) who re-kindled the passion for research and innovation in me. They taught me that science is not simply an act to be performed in a confines of a laboratory but the inner vision to explore our surroundings.

I wanted to continue exploring novel biophysical and biochemical tools, beyond the area of nanoparticle research. I was particularly interested in evaluating the potential of bioengineering tools in deciphering intriguing bio-molecular complexities. The prime search criteria for my postdoctoral training was, therefore, aimed at finding a group, which is dedicated in developing innovative and functional biomolecular tools. I chose to work with Prof. Joseph Irudayaraj at the department of Biological Engineering at Purdue University, USA.

CRISPR and cancer therapeutics

I spent three years (2013-2016) at Purdue as a postdoctoral research assistant, where I was exposed to a new arena of bio-engineering applications. During this period, I focused mainly on designing and targeting novel synthetic protein tools such as TAL (transcription activator like elements), or CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) to the cancer epigenome for site specific modifications with a purpose of therapeutic interventions.

Cancer, as the title of Siddhartha Mukherjee’s Pulitzer-winning book says, is indeed ‘The Emperor of All Maladies’. My team’s research efforts at Purdue resulted in CRISPR-based epigenomic editing at the promoter of a known tumor suppressor gene BRCA1. We utilized a deactivated version of the Cas9 (dCas9) enzyme, fused to a demethylating enzyme TET1, which specifically demethylated the BRCA1 promoter. By achieving these loci specific demethylation, we succeeded in increasing BRCA1 expression and obtaining a significant reduction in cancer cell proliferation. This illustrated the novelty of using CRISPR based bioengineering tools to promote targeted epigenetic corrections and broadening the scope of next generation cancer therapeutics.

Subsequently, I joined the Myeloma Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).  In addition to studying the targeted epigenetic regulations in high-risk multiple myeloma (HRMM), I’m also engaged in identifying the aberrant epigenetic signatures of HRMM.

 Of the first snow fall

I belong to Kolkata, a city which nicely orchestrates the core cross-over values. Hence, the transition to USA was smooth for me with a few minor awkward incidents. In any case, a postdoc’s life mostly revolves around laboratories, so the scope of social events remained limited for me. I witnessed the first snowfall in my life in USA, which was wonderful. I remember, my wife and I made a miniature snow-man (she called it a snow-baby), which grew bigger and bigger with subsequent snowfall. I however, do not enjoy hopping like penguins over 6 inches of snow all through winter.

USA has historically served as a key destination for scholars. In larger cities and universities, life can be busy but also very entertaining. For instance, Purdue’s campus was very cross-cultural with a diverse array of restaurants, multilingual people and a reputation for academic excellence. Both at Purdue and UAMS, I met very talented, hard-working, professional and helpful people. Lab-meetings, seminars, and inter-research group discussions are common, meant to bring out the best in people. USA could also be a wonderful destination for travel and recreation. The country is picturesque, has everything from acres of green meadows, amazing fall colours and an array of skyscrapers and ultra-modern works of architecture.

Postdoctoral life in USA is extremely challenging. At times it can be frustrating and even depressing. I realized, like thousands of other postdocs, the meaning of the maxim ‘publish or perish’. Continuous pressure at work, in addition to thousands of miles of distance from parents and friends, can be excruciating at times.

Tips for postdocs

Please do not give up on your dreams. I grew up in a lower-middle class family with continuous pressure of stable employment. I used to take private tuitions beyond the lab hours and was so exhausted sometimes that I slept off in public transport missing the right stop. But I never thought of leaving research or academics. When your innovation and hard work pay off, the absolute joy of that moment alleviates all injury and bitterness. 

India, first choice

I miss my parents and friends. My parents are old and have limited access to video-chatting. A part of the ‘worried’ me, hence always remains with them.

I’m very keen on starting my own laboratory in India. My primary research focus would be the study of physicochemical influences of nutrients, nanoparticles and chemical compounds/drugs with respect to their instigation of epigenetic modifications. Furthermore, I would be interested to correlate their influence in various disease models. With a suitable offer, India would be my first choice.