Scientist Picked Up the Necessary Skills in Graduate School

Name: Sayantan Chatterjee (he/him)

PhD: Chemistry, Stanford University, 2023

What is your current job?

I am a Scientist (Oligonucleotide Chemistry) for Korro Bio, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

I invent new chemistries to support Korro Bio’s oligonucleotide-based gene editing platform technology, including novel strategies to generate chemically modified nucleobases, sugar, and nucleic acid backbones. To achieve that, I operate modern automated oligo synthesizer instruments to synthesize heavily modified oligonucleotides at milligram scale and high throughput + purity for cellular and animal gene editing experiments.

I also manage external Research Organizations to supervise the synthesis of modified oligonucleotides and phosphoramidite monomer reagents, and other small molecules crucial to Korro Bio’s technology.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

The first hand exposure to high-throughput laboratory automation! The second-most favorite thing would probably be the very talented biologists and biochemists on the team. While I did have some exposure to biology/chemical biology/biochemistry in grad school, I am trained primarily as an organic chemist. I take this opportunity of being at my job to learn more about biology to better inform my chemical designs.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

Solid-phase oligonucleotide chemistry, and synthetic organic chemistry. In my PhD lab, I designed, synthesized, purified, and characterized RNA oligonucleotides via solid-phase chemistry. I also performed multi-step organic synthesis of chemically diverse phosphoramidite reagents that are the monomers/building blocks of modified oligonucleotides in solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis.

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

The skills at my role were almost entirely picked up at grad school. I had a very supportive advisor/mentor who always encouraged me to try new projects, and I learnt a lot from simply being around more experienced grad students/postdocs. Having said that, my job does require a solid understanding of organic chemistry so I also found my college-level organic chemistry course material to be useful as well. Nothing is as important as the latest scientific literature however - and I heavily rely upon Google Scholar alerts and conference attendance to learn more.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

LinkedIn

PhD graduate ➡️ Scientist at a small startup (in Flagship Pioneering) ➡️ Scientist Oligonucleotide Chemistry at Korro Bio

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

For nucleic acid chemistry roles specifically, it is essential to have some experience handling solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesizers. Many chemistry departments at universities usually have access to at least one such instrument - learn how to use it! If access at grad school is a concern, there is always the option of doing an internship at an industrial lab.

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

I have a lot of respect for academics and academia, but I did not find it to be a difficult decision at all. As someone who believes in the ability of scientific innovation to change the world, I have always been more invested in real world impacts of my work than, for example, a figure in a publication. I wanted to help develop therapeutics and cure diseases - and while there are certainly many academic labs doing so, I felt like industry would be the right environment to live that dream.

I also happened to be doing a PhD in RNA chemistry as the COVID pandemic + mRNA vaccine rollouts unfolded, and it further encouraged me to explore my options in the biopharma industry.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Network, network, network! This is something that graduate school often does not train us for. As scientists we are naturally curious - I leaned on that innate curiosity to learn more about the people around me in industry. Admittedly, it was easier for me to network because my grad school was in an area that is considered a biopharma "hub", but with some effort I believe everyone in a graduate program is capable of networking effectively.

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

I'm an Indian citizen and currently working in the US on a work visa. It is undeniably true that it is much harder for non-citizens/non-permanent residents to find a job willing to sponsor a visa - and it has affected me as well during my job searches.

And for those interested, what was your main area of research?

My PhD focused on the invention of new technologies for chemical modification of RNA molecules, specifically at the 2'-hydroxyl locations. I designed, synthesized, purified, and analyzed different kinds of nucleic acid molecules (e.g. DNA, RNA, modified oligonucleotides, etc.) and tested their chemical properties. My research also had an associated focus on using the chemical techniques invented to study RNA structure at a single-nucleotide level. This research has applications in the fields of RNA therapeutics and fundamental RNA biology research.