STEM Alumni in 5
Thomas Rogers '12
Employer
Van Andel Insititute/Research Scientist
LinkedIn Profile
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-rogers-phd/
1. Tell us about your journey since graduation.
Following graduation, I attended the University of Colorado for a
PhD in Cancer Biology. I studied the role of tryptophan metabolism in
breast cancer metastasis. I received multiple grants from the National
Cancer Institute, including the F99/K00 Graduate to Postdoc Transition
award. This allowed me the opportunity to bring my own funding to a
post-doc position. After my PhD, I continued my post-doc work at
UT-Southwestern Medical Center, where I studied cancer metabolism.
After 4 years of a post-doc, I took a remote position working in
competitive intelligence for Amgen, a pharmaceutical company,
supporting their oncology pipeline. My family and I moved back to West
Michigan at the end of 2022 and I realized that I missed bench science
too much. In January 2023, I joined the Van Andel Institute as a
Research Scientist studying the impact of diet on the molecular
biology of cancer.
2. Share a favorite Grand Valley memory.
First, I met my future wife in the basement of Mackinaw Hall
while in Genetics class.
3. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Measure twice, and cut once.
4. List three words you would use to describe your Grand
Valley experience.
Encouraging, Supportive, and Unique
5. What difference would you like to make in the world?
I hope to train and educate the next generation of young
scientists while conducting rigorous scientific research that leads to
groundbreaking discoveries in cancer metabolism.
May 2024
Interest Area(s)
Cell and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences
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