We’re taking time over the following weeks to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us every week to learn more about our early career scientist advocates.

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Sumeet Nayak
Communication & Outreach Subcommittee Co-Chair
University of Massachusetts Medical School

Research Interest:

My research interest lies in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the survival of cancer cells. I am working to define the roles hereditary breast cancer genes play when normal cells experience stress—and how this affects cancer progression.

As a PhD-trained scientist, you have many career options. What career paths interest you the most?

I see myself working in a research-intensive position in academia or industry. I look forward to using my technical skills to solve important questions. As a professional, it is important to me to mentor others and to communicate scientific information broadly to share facts and resolve misconceptions.

In addition to your research, how else do you want to advance the scientific enterprise?

Growing up in India as the son of a doctor and nationalized bank employee, I was always taught to lead a life of example. I was raised with the idea that the more you give to others, the more it multiplies and comes back to you. With this in mind, I would like to share my scientific knowledge, professional experiences, and struggles with my people to help others achieve what was once difficult for me.

As a leader within the Genetics Society of America, what do you hope to accomplish?

Being appointed as a leader within the GSA gives me an opportunity to fulfill my goal of influencing even a single person in my lifetime. I look forward to challenging myself by leading a team of early career researchers that are equally passionate about science. Through this experience, I hope to lead the committee to work as a team to build our communication skills, which are essential for us to flourish as researchers. Together, we will be using these skills to highlight the connections between discoveries from the model organism and advancements in the larger scientific community.

Previous Leadership Experience:

  • Mentored 7 PhD, 1 undergraduate, and 1 high school student in the laboratory
  • “Scope of higher studies” special lecture series organizer
  • Intercollegiate “CHIMERA” event coordinator

 

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