Dr. Jacqueline (Jackie) Starrett is a May 2020 graduate of the Department of Pathology from Dr. Kaiti Politi’s laboratory. Since leaving Yale, she has become a Senior Scientist at Tyra Biosciences, leading the In Vivo Pharmacology team. In this alumni spotlight, Jackie answers a few questions on what she has done after graduating and provides advice for her younger colleagues:
How did your time at Yale prepare you as a scientist?
Yale prepared me for my career as a scientist in so many ways - from the technical and problem-solving skills that I gained at the bench, to thinking critically about the science and asking novel questions. I was able to hone my scientific communication, through journal clubs and seminar classes with my cohort in the first few years, the many presentations I gave to the Pathology Department and my Committee, and through writing grant applications and scientific manuscripts. I felt that my mentor, Dr. Politi, and the ExPath Grad Program were very invested in helping me develop as a well-rounded scientist in these ways. I also felt supported in exploring non-Postdoc scientific career paths, and there were many resources available to help with this.
What is your new job and what is like?
I am a Senior Scientist at Tyra Biosciences, leading the In Vivo Pharmacology team. It has been so exciting to apply my in vivo skills and knowledge about acquired resistance to targeted cancer therapies that I gained from my PhD in this position, and to be making a true impact on developing new therapies for patients. Tyra is a start-up Biotech company, and we move at a fast pace and every experiment is important and valuable. I love being a part of this small and dedicated team, where I feel that I am relied on as a key contributor.
What are your favorite activities?
I try to spend as many weekends as possible either at the beach or hiking/camping. I love to travel to new places, and I am always in the middle of reading 4-5 different books.
Any advice to current students?
I would recommend trying as many new things as possible during grad school - whether it’s a new type of experiment in the lab, a new grant application, or applying for an award or travel fellowship for a conference. Grad school is the perfect time to test things out and you never know when you might use that skill or knowledge in the future! If you keep applying to grants and awards, you will certainly receive one eventually, and all of the practice writing and applying will help make you a better scientist.