Name

Elizabeth Proctor

School

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Degree Program

Fourth year PhD student in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Previous Degrees

Bachelor of Science in Honors Physics from Purdue University, 2008; Bachelor of Arts in Honors Russian Language and Literature, 2008

Dissertation Title

Identification of Drug Leads Targeting Superoxide Dismutase Dissociation for the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Research Interests

Computational biology tools; Molecular biology

Advisor

Nikolay V. Dokholyan

Advisor’s Research Focus

Biophysics; bioinformatics; protein engineering

Hobbies

Cycling, swimming

Graduate School – Application Process

How did you select your graduate school and program?

I chose to attend the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill for my bioinformatics and computational biology PhD program because I heard excellent reviews about the way that the 3 major universities in this area worked collaboratively. Besides my school, there is also North Carolina State University in Raleigh and Duke University in Durham within 20 miles. All 3 schools that are located within this triangle have outstanding biochemistry and biophysics programs, and I was excited by the opportunity to work with multiple programs.

What did you do to prepare yourself for graduate school?

I prepared for graduate school by making the most of my academic and extracurricular opportunities. I double-majored in 2 different honors programs as an undergraduate. One of my degrees was in science and the other was in a liberal arts program, which I think showcased my ability to think broadly. I was also on the track team at Purdue University, which showed that I had interests outside of academics too. It is important to present yourself as a well-rounded individual when you apply to graduate school.

Did your application requirements include standardized test scores?

I was required to take the GRE, but I didn’t find it to be much of a challenge. I looked at an example test online, but otherwise, I did not feel like I needed to spend time preparing for it.

What kind of information did you include in your personal statement?

In my personal statement, I emphasized my love of science. I gave examples of the ways that I have involved myself in learning about science at every stage of my life. I think that the key to a personal statement is to illustrate your passion for your subject. Students can learn a subject in a classroom or a lab, but professors can’t teach passion.

How did you choose faculty to approach for letters of recommendation?

I chose to ask the professors who I had interacted with on a daily basis as an undergraduate. I knew that those people could write about my ability to be an independent, self-motivated researcher. When you are deciding who to ask for letters of recommendation, the most important consideration is to pick those who know you very well. There is a difference between a professor who can speak to your best abilities and characteristics versus a professor who gave you an excellent grade.

Do you have any other tips for a student who is considering applying to graduate school in bioinformatics and computational biology?

If you are considering going to grad school for any field of the sciences, it is important to choose a school where there are at least a few people who you are interested in working with. That is because research spots can be very competitive and the lab at your first choice school might be full. You should have a backup plan in case that happens.

Graduate School – The Program

How long is your program and how is the curriculum distributed?

I am in the first wave of students to graduate from this program, so there is no technical length, but I believe it will take me 5 to 6 years to complete it. When you begin this course of study, you start under the umbrella of the biological and biomedical sciences program, which includes many different disciplines related to biology and chemistry. During the first year, you declare your specific department and your advisor. I chose to declare a focus in bioinformatics and computational biology so my coursework and research projects were centered on that specific area for my first and second years. At the end of the second year, I took my qualifying exams.

During the third year, I wrote a dissertation proposal that outlined the problem I would research and my hypothesis. I defended my proposal to a committee composed of 5 professors. I was nervous for the defense, but it was actually more like a presentation followed by a discussion than a test, per se. Now I am in my fourth year, and I am working on that dissertation.

What is the focus of your dissertation research?

My dissertation research is focused on the identification of a specific protein that causes a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. When this protein misfolds, it undergoes an aberrant interaction in the cell, which means it interacts with other organelles in the cell that it shouldn’t. So I am using computational tools to examine that process on the molecular level.

What role does your advisor play in your education?

My advisor does an excellent job of providing me with guidance while allowing me to become an independent researcher. He makes suggestions about my work and helps me to refine my ideas, but I have room to conduct my own experimentation too. I appreciate having an advisor who is not just a sounding board, but also is a scientist who I respect and admire.

Does your doctoral program require comprehensive exams prior to graduation?

In my program, we do take comprehensive exams, although we call them qualifying exams because you have to pass them in order to qualify to write your dissertation. As part of our initial coursework, we take core modules, which are groups of classes pertaining to specific areas of biology and biomedics. The exam is comprised of 1 question from each of the 7 core modules that we studied during the first 2 years of the program.

You get about 2 days to complete the exam, so you shut out the rest of the world and solve these problems to the best of your ability using any resources you can. The only stipulation is that you cannot speak to other people. I felt like that exam was a valuable test of my knowledge.

Graduate School – Paying for It

How are you funding your education?

I don’t know what my program would cost since I am fully funded by a fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. My fellowship covers not only normal tuition costs and student fees, but also health insurance. I get a paycheck each month as a stipend too. I don’t know exactly how much my stipend is worth, but I think it is about $27,000 each year. It is quite a generous stipend for a PhD student and I am grateful that I don’t have to worry about finances while I am in school.

Graduate School – Living Life

What are the time commitments for a PhD in bioinformatics and computational biology?

The time commitments for this degree are totally dependent upon 2 variables, which are your lab and your personal drive. For instance, some labs are very laid back and they allow you to get the work done when you can. Others are more intense because they operate under specific time constraints.

The other factor in terms of time commitment is your own motivation. I don’t want to scare people away from a doctorate program, but I would estimate that I work about 80 hours each week because I believe that you get out of school what you put into it. Nobody tells you that you need to put in a specific number of hours each week, as long as you are doing what you need to do. Personally, I tend to work more than I absolutely need to because I love what I am doing. But there are some graduate students who put in a typical 8-hour day and that works for them.

How has graduate school affected your personal life?

I haven’t had a problem with managing school and my personal life because everybody that I work and study with in my lab is very supportive of hobbies and staying active. All of the people in my department have a variety of interests and we socialize together often. Finding a balance has not been difficult for me.

Graduate School – After Graduation

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I hope to find myself still in academia. I plan to graduate in about 1 and a half years and then I would like to do a post-doctorate assignment. My goal is to eventually become a professor.

Graduate School - Advice

What insights can you offer a student who is interested in pursuing a PhD in bioinformatics and computational biology?

I would tell brand new bioinformatics students to always remember that research is your primary occupation. A lot of people leave their undergraduate institution with the idea that they need to be very concerned with their coursework. And it is not that you shouldn’t care about your classes, but remember that the purpose of classes is to teach you what you need to know in order to conduct your own research. Don’t lose sight of that goal.