2014 Breakout Sessions

2014 G&D Retreat
Break-Out Sessions
SESSION #1
Thursday, March 27
SESSION #2
Friday, March 28
5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
#1 How to Succeed in Graduate School (Buttercup – 2-‐story hotel, first floor) 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
#1 Finding a Postdoc Position Francesca Cole, PhD, Assistant Professor, Molecular Carcinogenesis
Guillermina Lozano, PhD, Professor & Chair, Genetics
Ryan McCarthy, PhD, Postdoc, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
David Johnson, PhD, Professor, Molecular Carcinogenesis
Lindsey Minter, Graduate Student, Genes & Development
Amanda Wasylishen, PhD, Postdoc, Genetics Department
Matt Yousefzadeh, Graduate Student, Molecular Carcinogenesis
This will be an interactive discussion on how to succeed in graduate school from multiple perspectives. Topics include identifying mentors and the importance of networking in and out of the lab, time management and personal productivity, managing deadlines and stress, advancing to candidacy, and more. There will be plenty of time for questions. #2 Emerging Technologies or Fields
(Primrose – adjacent to poster room) Gabor Balázsi, PhD, Associate Professor, Systems Biology
Kevin McBride, PhD, Assistant Professor, Molecular Carcinogenesis
Emerging technologies present enormous potential but also major pitfalls when applied to your scientific endeavors. Dr. McBride will discuss some currently emerging technologies and his own experience in single cell cloning and recombinant antibody production. Dr. Balázsi will discuss his own experience in mammalian synthetic biology and whole-‐genome sequencing. #3 Alternative Careers (Bluebonnet – above dining room) Tiffany Bredfeldt, PhD, Toxicologist, Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality*
John Repass, PhD, President, ARQ Genetics*
What is involved in starting your own business or working in a state regulatory agency? Dr. Repass will share his experience in opening ARQ Genetics in 2011 in Bastrop, Texas. Dr. Bredfeldt will discuss her work as a toxicologist for the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality * Dr. Bredfeldt was a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Cheryl Walker’s in the
Molecular Carcinogenesis Department prior to working for the Texas
Commission for Enviornmental Quality.
* Dr. Repass was a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ellen Richie’s lab in the
Molecular Carcinogenesis Department prior to founding ARQ Genetics.
(Primrose – adjacent to poster room) Postdoctoral training is a requiremnt for many career paths. This interactive workshop will cover what students can do to ensure they will be competitive for top postdoctoral positions, including how to discover opportunities, how to prepare for interviews, the hiring process and timelines. #2 Obtaining Grants & Fellowships (Texas Sage – Main Meeting Hall) Mark Bedford, PhD, Professor, Molecular Carcinogenesis
Sabine Lange, PhD, Postdoc, Molecular Carcinogenesis
Jess Tyler, PhD, Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Want to write a winning grant? Want a graduate fellowship or a career development award? Talk to Drs. Bedford, Tyler and Lange about their successful experiences and suggestions. #3 Academic vs. Industry Careers:
Expectation Differences (Buttercup – 2-‐story hotel, first floor) Taiping Chen, PhD, Associate Professor, Molecular Carcinogenesis and
former Scientist at Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research
in Cambridge, MA.
Victoria Richon, PhD, Vice President and Global Head of Drug
Discovery and Preclinical Development, Sanofi Oncology
(Retreat Keynote Speaker).
What are the pros and cons of pursuing a career in a university or research institution compared to those encountered outside of the ivory tower as an investigator in the biotech or industry sectors?

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