An Interview with Karen Zhu
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of change. I have been blessed to be able to talk to Karen Zhu, a senior specialist at a biotechnology company in the Bay Area, who has her own fair share of challenges and remorse. Her hometown is Wuhan, the first city to be hit by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. She told me her story:
My 86-year-old mother and my brother's family of three stayed home for 76 days, during which they rarely even went down the stairs of their apartment complex. Unfortunately, I lost one of my middle school teachers who was only 66 years old. One of my high school classmates, a film director, aged 55, also passed away. Both his parents and his sister also died after contracting the virus, leaving his son, who was living abroad, as the sole survivor of their family. Finally, one of my doctor friends, also only 55, was a very successful medical professional in Wuhan. He was one of the best doctors in Wuhan, and, as a first-responder at the beginning of the breakout, was also lost to the virus. Although my family members survived, many of the people I grew up with suffered, and my hometown community was hit very hard. This just highlights the gravity of the situation, not just in Wuhan but worldwide, and how jarring it is to have to deal with such a tragic time in history for all of us.
I was amazed by the level of maturity Zhu displayed. And despite every single obstacle, she still is working from her home. Zhu’s laboratory is considered an essential business as a world leader creating new technology to diagnose and research the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Before returning to the company to do necessary research, Zhu’s team even started an online journal club to update one another on the latest research trends and advances. Now the Research and Development (R&D) team is back at their lab, working tirelessly with the instruments and equipment necessary to learn more about the novel virus. During this stressful time, Zhu and her team have been checking temperatures, social distancing, and making contact logs the moment they enter the facility to ensure their safety.
And really, it is remarkable how Zhu is still able to stay curious and excited for science while others are panicking. It’s relieving when she told me about her different highlights of her career, one when she won an iPad back in 2011 for a naming competition at her company and another when she was teaching others about STEM. “As I once taught in Peking University for four years before I came to the US, I have a special interest in interacting with students,” she said. “The moments when their faces became lit with fascination and interest, my heart was filled with satisfaction and enjoyment. Having the opportunity to spread passion for science to students has definitely been invaluable to my happiness with my career.”
And it really shines through. Zhu is a volunteer as a Science Ambassador for her company. Over the years, she has gone to elementary and middle schools as well as demonstrating experiments at fairs and STEM festivals around the Bay Area, notably the Annual San Francisco Discovery Day. She had even been as generous as to dedicate a portion of her valuable time to giving some advice to high school students who are interested in research.
Zhu is an expert at protein separation at her company. She is a seasoned scientist, no doubt, and her experience at the company has molded her perspective on specifically the research that goes on in the industry. Immediately after she received her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Zhu entered the biotechnology industry as a technical support specialist. These specialists are extremely important, and many members of the support team have received Ph.D. or postdoctoral training. There, Zhu guided and instructed scientists around the U.S. to Canada on how to use important equipment to expand on their own research. After two years, Zhu switched to her current position in product development for protein separation through chromatography, electrophoresis, and other techniques. “Over the years, I have worked on many products, such as the IPG strips for 2-dimentional electrophoresis, the automated station for electrophoresis , and equipment used for protein transfer prior to detection,” she tells me.
While she has exponentially more experience in industrial research (research for companies, rather than individually-directed research), Zhu explains the common trend in research: a love of science.
Although there are many differences, both paths are also quite similar in this: you need to be passionate about science, interested in exploring different possibilities and the truth, and you must maintain curiosity about your research topics. As long as you work hard, you can have equal contributions to make the world a better place in either field.
And the difference? Zhu explains how personality and strengths play a huge part in considering whether or not someone is more fit for academic versus company research. “Academic research is more self-driven: enjoying teaching and mentoring, focusing on long-term goals, being skilled at presenting ideas and writing proposals to receive grants and funding, and being more flexible with daily time management,” she told me. “Industry research, on the other hand, requires more deadline-driven team collaboration, communication and people skills, and applications which provide a more rewarding feeling through directly impacting human life.” Essentially, academic research requires an almost “freelance” individual motivation to be able to freely explore an area of research, while industry research requires motivation from working as a team to solve immediate problems. Both, though, require a will to learn and a will to keep growing as a scientific individual.
For students interested in pursuing this research, Zhu recommends first finding a solid foundation in the sciences. Whether it be proteomics, which deals with molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics to creating a unique protein, to immunology, Zhu says this, “[T]he best way to prepare is to build strong foundations in scientific knowledge, and project making your own contributions in this field. With the increasing understanding and availability of more advanced research tools, you may one day make a difference in history, and in many people’s lives.”
And Zhu still uses her time to improve herself and her community:
As a parent of two college students, I understand how difficult it can be to focus through online classes. Especially with stay-at-home orders, many students don’t have the space, peace, or time to prioritize their education, as every person’s living situation differs so greatly. Speaking generally, I think students should seek to set goals and rules that they will follow to manage their daily routines, and work around the obstacles of learning from home. Outside of their required course studies, the silver lining of remote instruction is that they may have more free time to explore different academic paths and hone in on their true interests.
And despite everything, Zhu is still able to lighten up. She says, “Another piece of advice I would have for high school students specifically, would be that now is a great time to learn or enhance your cooking/baking skills!” And this is true, for all of the stories we have heard of the veteran chefs straight out of college and debt. “It can help you spend time cooking and eating with friends, and overall make your campus life more enjoyable. Right now, in my household, my 2 kids take turns cooking meals, which makes my life a lot easier!”
Motivatingly, Zhu has shown me how she is still staying strong during this tough situation by helping her own community, like how she is supporting the California Hubei Friendship Society of U.S.A. to provide PPE and supplies for frontline workers. If she were to go back in time, Zhu told me that she may have been a doctor in order to know how to help her father when he contracted intestine cancer and unfortunately passed away. It is moving to hear all of the personal experiences that have molded Zhu to continuously learn more and find out ways she can help others through hardship. Even in February, she and other Wuhan natives in the Bay Area composed music videos for their community to listen to back in China when the virus first struck.
While the situation in Wuhan was grave, and these music videos were by no means any kind of cure, it was heartwarming to see the cultural impact it had on our Wuhan community, and showed that pandemics are fought with not only science and workers, but hope. I hope all doctors and nurses fighting COVID-19 are safely equipped and mentally supported, because they are incredible, and brave, and necessary amidst this pandemic. I hope that researchers across the world will collaborate well and find the vaccines soon; so that we can do our part in healing people and saving lives, so that we can ultimately put this pandemic behind us.
Speaking to Zhu has reminded all of us that there is still room to help others and support our communities. It has been a pleasure to know that Zhu is still working hard to help those in need, and she proves that others can as well.
