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Mark Bazett graduated from the Department of Human Genetics in 2015. After finishing his PhD, Mark transitioned into industry, leading preclinical drug development in small biotech companies. He currently works as the Director of Preclinical Development at Bold Therapeutics.

Q: What made you first interested in doing a PhD in Human Genetics?

I did my undergraduate at the University of Victoria and we had a co-op program there. I was actually going the organometallics biochemistry route鈥攖hat was my original plan. But one of the co-op positions was with Dr. Christina Haston at 看片视频 University, who later became my PhD supervisor. We were studying cystic fibrosis using a variety of models, and I found the research really interesting. I therefore decided to stay, starting out as a Master鈥檚 student and then doing the transition into the PhD program. If you had asked me in undergrad if I wanted to study human genetics, I wouldn鈥檛 have known at the time, but I really liked what I was doing with Dr. Haston and my interest just evolved over the years.

Q: So what kind of support did you receive during your PhD?

My PhD work was completed at the聽, which probably only had 30 graduate students, but it was a really good community鈥擨 made a number of lifelong friends there. I was also very lucky that some of my closest friends from undergrad and high school all did PhDs鈥攕ome at 看片视频, some at UBC鈥攕o I had a great group of PhD friends that went through the same challenges and supported each other.

Q: What do you do day-to-day in your current positions?

I鈥檓 currently working with a company called Bold Therapeutics. We鈥檙e an oncology-based drug development company, which is currently in Phase 1b clinical trials. I was brought in to run the preclinical side of the company, so I work on determining how we can best utilize our drugs and understand how they work. I鈥檓 primarily running a collaborative network of contract research organizations and academic collaborators so my day-to-day is working with these scientists to advance our programs. I also work daily with the other departments, including clinical, manufacturing, and corporate to integrate the preclinical science into the overall company.

Q: What has been the biggest experience for you after graduation?

Shifting from hands-on laboratory work to what I鈥檓 doing now, which is running these preclinical drug development programs. I鈥檓 not in the lab at all now鈥擨鈥檓 doing science, but I鈥檓 running programs instead. That has been the biggest experience for me in the last 10 years and I鈥檓 really enjoying it.

Q: How did you transition from academia into industry?

I kind of fell into it a little bit. A friend sent me a job application for a small company in Vancouver. They were doing some really innovative science that they were translating into the clinic. I was originally brought in as a postdoc to work in their labs. However, about three months into that, I realized that I wasn鈥檛 really enjoying working in the lab. There was an opportunity in the company to move into a leadership role where I was able to actually run the programs instead of being in the lab. That was something I found myself liking more than the day-to-day of conducting experiments. So for me, I transitioned more into a management-type position.

I really liked my PhD, but doing the lab work鈥攖hat was something I realized I didn鈥檛 enjoy until after I left my PhD. The transition into industry helped me realize what my strengths are and what I enjoy doing.

There are lots of really interesting opportunities in industry. I specifically like working in smaller biotech companies. It鈥檚 fast-paced and exciting, and you get to learn about different aspects of the company and drug development. That鈥檚 something that a lot of people don鈥檛 consider when leaving their PhDs鈥攖hat there are other options beyond working in a lab.

Q: What is it like working in a small biotech company?

Small biotech is very fast-paced and it鈥檚 always changing, so you have to be adaptable. The expression we always use is that we 鈥渨ear multiple hats鈥�, meaning that we have a wide range of different responsibilities. The smallest biotech I鈥檝e worked at only had three people, so on the same day, I might be pitching the company to investors, meeting with manufacturers, and running experiments. As companies grow, you start having specialized co-workers who run the different departments, but you鈥檙e still going to be involved. I love being part of all the different aspects of what makes a small biotech company run and using my science background to move the projects forward.

Q: How has the PhD helped you in your current job?

I use the kind of knowledge that I learned in my PhD all the time. Specifically for my PhD, I brought together a bunch of different areas of life sciences. So the ability to read literature and pull it in鈥攖hat skillset, you鈥檙e going to use your entire life. Right now, maybe it has nothing to do with anything I did in my PhD from a science standpoint but it鈥檚 the understanding of how to consolidate information, and create hypotheses, and drive big projects forward. And the other thing you learn in a PhD is how to actually manage a project from a scientific perspective鈥攋ust from record-keeping to hypothesis-generating. It doesn鈥檛 matter what your scientific project is鈥攁ll of that is completely transferable.

Mark describes transferable skills he developed during his PhD.

Q: Is there anything that you wish you knew before you started your PhD?

I think there are a number of opportunities that I鈥檝e probably missed over the years. For example, I had some data sitting on my desk for six months that I could have published but it got scooped and it was just a missed opportunity. So always take advantage of opportunities as they come, whether that鈥檚 working with a collaborator, taking extra courses that the university has to offer, like project management courses. I didn鈥檛 really look into those when I was doing my PhD but that鈥檚 one thing I wished I had done.

I would also encourage people to look beyond the standard pathway of doing a PhD, then doing a postdoc, then becoming a P.I. That had been my plan for many years. Looking beyond that can open your eyes to what else there is in science, especially in drug development. For example, clinical trial management or manufacturing can be really interesting career paths, but you don鈥檛 really see them unless you鈥檙e working specifically in that area during your PhD. Many scientists can easily transition into those fields. Take advantage of opportunities to learn and explore what鈥檚 out there and be open to transitioning into a new field鈥攖here鈥檚 a lot more out there than just being a basic scientist after your PhD.

Q: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to add?

One last piece of advice I would give anyone, no matter where they are, is to push themselves into new experiences and opportunities, and to not get too comfortable in one setting. If you are extending your PhD for a few more years doing the exact same thing, you鈥檙e not learning more鈥攎aybe you鈥檙e getting more publications out鈥攂ut the learning comes from moving to a new lab or a new postdoc, or even moving into industry. Getting out of that comfort zone and onto the next stage is where your growth happens and where the learning happens.