Senior Scientist Unafraid to Take Chances
- ashleymo5779
- May 1
- 2 min read
Name: Ofer Yizhar-Barnea (he/him)
PhD: Molecular Genetics, Tel Aviv University, 2018
What was your main area of research?
PhD: Studied the epigenetic regulation of the onset of hearing in the organ of corti (Inner ear, Cochlea).
Postdoc: Mapped the human absentome, the missing genetic "words" of the genome language, and their link to disease.
What is your current job?
I am a Senior Scientist at Scribe Therapeutics in Alameda, California.
I lead the gene and epigenome editing off-target (specificity) strategy and execution at Scribe Therapeutics.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
I love that we work in a space where we know only a tiny tiny fraction of what is going on. We constantly test ourselves and our assumptions.
What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?
Leadership without authority
Sharing failure in science
How to debrief, learn and improve.
How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?
Try stuff!
If you're afraid to take a chance, you learn nothing new and don't grow.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
PhD ➡️ founding a company ➡️ Postdoc ➡️ founding my 2nd company ➡️ FAILING ➡️ scientist for hire
If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?
Listen to podcasts in the field, learn the professional lingo not only the papers
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
I don’t like the academic life, and ... pay.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Network and start early
Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?
I’m more interested in the technology rather than the specific biological question.