Careers in Science: Igniting Passion and Purpose

By Stanford University Genetics Department

Jan 24 from 10am to 4pm PST

Overview

High school students gain insight from Stanford University faculty & trainees about going to college for careers in biomedical fields.

Join us IN PERSON or VIRTUALLY for a workshop where high school students can talk with current Stanford faculty, grad students and trainees and learn how they pursued the career that they are passionate about! PURCHASE TICKETS IN THE NAME OF THE EVENT ATTENDEE.

You'll get an exciting peek into the cutting-edge research being done by Stanford Genetics, tour some labs and walk away with useful tips for presenting your science research. Perhaps you are interested in what classes to consider taking in high school or volunteer opportunities to learn more about bioscience careers? This presentation is for you!

Thinking about what to do with your time next summer? We will share opportunities that channel your passion or lets you explore new options.

The proceeds from the presentation support the STANFORD AT THE TECH PROGRAM. The Stanford at The Tech program brings Stanford graduate students and other early-career scientists to The Tech Interactive, a family-friendly science and technology center in the heart of downtown San Jose, for an intensive science communication experience. In addition to providing invaluable training to Stanford trainees, this program allows thousands of under-resourced Bay Area K-12 students each year to engage in hands-on biology learning facilitated by experts.

Careers in Science: Finding Your Passion and Purpose

Saturday, January 24, 2026, 10am to 4pm
Berg Hall, Li Kai Shing Building, Stanford School of Medicine

10:00 AM-10:10 AM Opening remarks by Dr. Lars Steinmetz, Chair, Department of Genetics, Stanford University & Group Leader at European Molecular Biology Laboratory

Lars grew up in Basel, Switzerland, and moved with his family to Oakland, New Jersey, for high school at age 16. His interest in biology began early, inspired by his father, a healthcare venture capitalist. Lars studied molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University and completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University, focusing on genome-wide approaches to study gene function and natural phenotypic diversity. The labs develop and apply transformative technologies to uncover the genetic basis of complex phenotypes, the mechanisms of gene regulation, and molecular mechanisms underpinning disease. Their ultimate goal is to enable the development of personalized, preventative medicine. Lars is Chair of Stanford Genetics, which consistently ranks amongst the top three genetics departments in the world encompassing 67 faculty and over 400 researchers. 

 10:10 AM-10:40 AM Keynote Speaker:  Dr. Ami S. Bhatt, Professor of Medicine & Genetics. Ami received her MD and Ph.D. at UCSF

10:40 AM-11:30 AM

My career as a Genetic Counselor: molecular detective and genomic translator, Elizabeth (Beth) Pollard, MS LCGC

Beth Pollard is a genetic counselor who studies human genomics in Dr. Michael Snyder’s lab. She analyzes genetic data and discusses the results with research participants. Beth studied biochemistry in undergrad, earned Masters’ degrees in genetic counseling and molecular biology, and previously worked at a clinical job seeing prenatal patients.                                   

Synthetic biology of mitochondria: engineering the extra DNA of our cells, Chris Mathy, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Lars Steinmetz’s Lab

Chris is a bioengineer who builds new tools to manipulate mitochondria in his role as a postdoctoral scholar in Lars Steinmetz’s lab. Chris’s research career began as a lab assistant cataloguing insects at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, followed by research into therapeutic protein engineering as an undergraduate at Stanford University. His PhD work at UCSF combined wet lab and dry lab work to show how the effects of small mutations in proteins can have ripple effects throughout the cell.

From Akitas to Zebras: experiments of nature in medicine and biology, Greg Barsh, MD, Ph.D.

Greg Barsh, MD PhD has been a Stanford faculty member for 35 years. He is a former director of the Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program and has a background in medical genetics and genomics. His research group studies the developmental genetics and evolution of morphologic variation in domestic animals and natural populations of charismatic mammals.

11:30 AM-12:00 PM

Turning immune cells into tools for medicine, Jodie Unger, Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Kyle Daniel’s Lab          

Jodie’s interest in science was sparked in a high school laboratory course where she isolated her own DNA and used PCR to genotype herself for variants of the caffeine metabolizing enzyme CYP1A2. She went on to study pharmacology at the U of Toronto. After undergrad, she worked at the National Institutes of Health as a full-time research assistant studying RNA biology before starting her PhD. At Stanford, she develops tools to turn human immune cells into engineered medicines. Jodie is passionate about transforming medicine through basic science innovation. 

Mapping the regulatory wiring of the genome, Yannick Lee Yow, Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Nicolas Altemose’s Lab 

Yannick grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He became interested in science through a tour of a research lab at the University of Colorado, where he later earned a bachelor's degree in molecular biology and biochemistry. During his time as an undergraduate, Yannick researched the pathways underlying cellular stress responses to radiation damage. After graduating, Yannick came to Stanford to pursue a PhD in genetics, where he now uses CRISPR tools to better understand how genes are regulated.

12:00 PM-12:45 PM A presentation on presentations. Usman Enam, Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Andy Fire’s Lab

Usman grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. He likes to study weird biological anomalies. He enjoys sharing his work and making sure others enjoy the work he's shared. He hopes you can begin to feel the same way.

12:45 PM-1:45 PM Lunch and Information tables, Berg Hall Lobby.

1:45 PM-2:30 PM

Navigating research paths: reflections on my journey in STEM, Paloma Ruiz, Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Monte Winslow’s Lab

Paloma is a fourth-year Ph.D. student where she's studying the impact of oncogenic amplifications in lung adenocarcinoma. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Quantitative Biology, a minor in Creative Writing as a Chancellor’s Science Scholar. She worked in Dr. Brian Strahl’s lab throughout her time in Chapel Hill and participated in summer research at the Broad Institute.

What can a fish teach us about how our brains age? Rahul Nagvekar, Ph.D. candidate, Anne Brunet’s Lab

Rahul Nagvekar is a sixth-year Ph.D. student. He studies one of biology's most mysterious problems - aging in the brain - using a unique animal: a fish that lives for only six months. Rahul is originally from Houston, Texas and studied molecular biology at Yale University.

Tiny salamanders, huge tumors: revisiting cancer resistance in the Mexican axolotl,

Sonia Bustos Barocio, Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Maria Barna’s Lab.

Sonia is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate and is currently investigating how axolotls are able to maintain sustained cellular proliferation during regeneration without inducing tumorigenic growth. Sonia completed her undergraduate training at UCLA, where she obtained a B.S.in Cell & Molecular Biology with a concentration in Biomedical Research. Prior to that, Sonia was a community college student in the Bay Area.

2:30 PM-3:00 PM The future of Medicine, Michael P. Snyder, Ph.D.

As a pioneer of Precision Medicine, Dr. Snyder has invented many technologies enabling the 21st century of healthcare including systems biology, RNA sequencing, and protein chip. Mike has initiated the Big Data approach to healthcare through his work using omics to detect early-stage disease, including wearables to detect infectious diseases like COVID-19, and at-home micro sampling to measure hundreds of molecules from a single drop of blood. He is the first researcher to gather petabytes of data on individuals, which is 1 million - 1 trillion times more data than the average clinician collects. He has published over 900 papers and is one of the most cited scientists.

3:00 PM-3:15 PM Final Questions and Closing Remarks

3:15 PM-4:00 PM         Lab tours