Through the generous support of Regeneron, four times a year River Journal publishes the on-site report of a high school science student from the River Towns who is paired with a Regeneron scientist to experience what it is like to put STEM education to work in the real world.
Through the help of River Journal and Sleepy Hollow High School, I was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to interview a member of the Regeneron team. Due to my interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), I was eager to learn about the process that researcher and scientist Erin Paul took to get to where she is today.
From the start, Paul knew she was destined for a career in biology. She was always fascinated with life and its functions, whether by catching creatures outside her house as a little girl or petitioning to continue dissection of a pig in her Advanced Placement (AP) Biology class in high school. This passion has followed her throughout her educational and professional career, making her the influential researcher she is today.
Paul’s early years in biology were at the University of New Hampshire on a pre-medical track. Once all of her general biology classes were completed, she opted to focus her biology degree toward microbiology as her major. As graduation was approaching, she realized that pursuing medical school was not her desired track, but instead she wanted to work in the lab.
So, she took a job at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and was further trained in molecular biology, cell culture and embryology to support creating mouse models for cancer research. In this field, researchers utilize molecular biology, cell culture and embryology to alter DNA in cells or embryos, and transfer this into mouse surrogates to generate cohorts of mice to support the study of human diseases. Paul continued to build her resume by taking the opportunity to manage the Transgenic Mouse Core at Brown University. She then helped to build a mouse modeling lab at MD Anderson Cancer Center before a recruiter called to offer her an interview at Regeneron.
Paul eventually relocated to work as a project manager of VelociGene at Regeneron. Although she is now out of the lab, she continues to follow her passion for biology. VelociGene generates genetically modified models to support the research of human diseases which lead to the creation of new life changing medicines.
Today, Paul continues to work at Regeneron within VelociGene. This sector of Regeneron’s research has hundreds of new projects each year, and she and her team are responsible for ensuring smooth and efficient operations for all of the production projects in VelociGene, implementing new technologies into production, troubleshooting any project issues that arise and aiming for continued workflow optimization that enhance and expedite the resulting research.
By maintaining an open mind, taking risks with good judgement, and working hard toward her ever-growing goals, Paul continues a successful career in biology. She advises high school students to follow their passion. Take risks, and know your career is not a one-way path and neither is an experiment. If the decision you make is one you no longer desire, you can make another. Finally, Paul advises to remember that if science was easy and not full of setbacks, such as failed experiments, it wouldn’t be as rewarding or as much as a learning experience.
