Name: Teddy Yewdell (he/him)
PhD: Biochemistry, Stanford University, 2015
What was your main area of research?
I did my PhD with Aaron Straight (Stanford Biochemistry Department) studying cell division and chromosome biology. My thesis involved understanding how non-coding RNAs coordinated/maintained heterochromatin domains that flank the centromeres and are critical for accurate chromosome segregation. My postdoc was with Jayanta Chaudhuri (MSKCC Immunology Program) studying molecular mechanisms of antibody class switch recombination, antiviral humoral immunity, and immune memory.
What is your current job?
I am a Principal Scientist at Genentech in South San Francisco, California.
I run a research lab similar to academia and work on drug development.
I love that I still get to do basic research.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
Folks in my academic network knew my Department chair well and were able to provide valuable insight to me.
PhD ➡️ postdoc ➡️ principal scientist
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
Genentech is a bit of an outlier in that I would not have taken this job if it were not similar to academia in the commitment to doing fundamental basic research. However, it was still hard to walk away from an assistant professor position that I had spent my career working towards.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
My insight might be limited here, because my position has a lot of similarities to an academic position and the training required for it mirrors the training for an assistant professor position. But in general:
Develop your network of connections - talk to other students, talk to as many people as you can at poster sessions, go to lunches with speakers whenever you can, present your research to whoever whenever you can.
Be proactive in seeking alternative job experience during your PhD - some PIs might not like this, but most would probably be ok with you taking 2-3 months to do an internship somewhere, especially if you are busting your butt in lab.
Always keep an open mind - if you have an opportunity to interview for a position you are not sure about, just do the interview. Worst case scenario you reinforce your opinion, best case scenario you learn about another viable option.