Elizabeth Bonner, BS
Elizabeth Bonner is a graduate student in the Molecular & Cellular Biology (UW MCB) program, which is offered jointly by the University of Washington and Fred Hutch Cancer Center. She is a PhD Candidate conducting her research in the Stanley Lee Lab at Fred Hutch while working toward her doctorate degree. Elizabeth took a non-traditional route toward a career in science. Her story includes dropping out of high school and taking an eight year break before enrolling in college.
Now, as a graduate student, Elizabeth has taken courses at the UW, undertaken bioinformatics projects, worked as a Teaching Assistant, completed three 10-week rotations in different labs, and read (so many!) journal articles.
As a Research Assistant in the Lee Lab, she uses molecular techniques to understand things like RNA expression and protein synthesis. She uses genetic techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and shRNA knock in (a technique that reduces mRNA abundance of specific RNAs). She also does tissue culture studies, treating cells with different drugs or stimulates while looking at "changes in behavior like cell surface protein expression, growth, and proliferation."
"Science is for everyone, not just those following a traditional career trajectory. Science is always an option even if you don’t see yourself in science as a high school student."
— Elizabeth Bonner
Elizabeth's Story
Growing up in Denver, Colorado Elizabeth's parents did not have a background in science or medicine, although they did have advanced degrees. Elizabeth's mother had a master's of social work; prior to her death she worked as a business consultant advocating for inclusive working environments for women. Her father has a PhD in social work and retired from a position with the Veterans Affairs (VA). Elizabeth's step-mother works as an attorney and rental property owner. Elizabeth noted that she has had many amazing women in her life who influenced her. She reflected that these role models included "women who have fought for what they wanted despite the obstacles they faced; women who provided examples of grit, fortitude, intelligence and strength; [and] women who were not afraid to go after what they wanted regardless of circumstance."
As she grew up, Elizabeth had her eyes on a wide variety of careers. In elementary school, she thought she might become an anthropologist or a waitress (goal later achieved). As a teenager, she identified as an artist, struggled with school, and dropped out of high school. As a young adult, she spent eight years working as a waitress/bartender. Her focus at that time was just on making enough money to pay her rent and buy food, not on a specific career plan.
Taking a Non-Traditional Path Toward STEM
It might be surprising to know that Elizabeth did not consider herself to be a great student growing up or to know that she dropped out of high school. It is also surprising to know that her charter school's curriculum did not include math and science courses at the high school level. And yet, she is now pursuing a doctorate and a career in molecular biology. What changed for her?
After a scary incident happened one night while she was working alone as a bartender, she decided to look for a different path. Elizabeth chose at age 25 to go back to school for a nursing degree. Sitting in her first introductory biology class, she was "totally enthralled." Elizabeth remembered "the complex intricacies that governed cellular life amazed me, and the more I learned the more I wanted to know. I would regularly ask questions of my professors to which their answer would be 'We don’t know'. It was this combination of the complex dance of molecular life and the mysteries still yet to be solved that hooked me." She later changed her major from nursing to molecular biology.
Educational Pathway
Elizabeth's educational pathway toward a career in molecular biology:
- Bachelor's of Science in Molecular Biology, University of Denver
- Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant (lab technician), University of Colorado
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Washington & Fred Hutch
Outside of Work
Elizabeth is busy, but it isn't all work with no fun. Elizabeth enjoys swing dancing, crafting, and baking. She is an avid hiker and loves to camp. In the winter, you'll see her shredding local slopes on her snowboard.
Future Directions
Elizabeth noted that after achieving their doctorate, traditionally many graduates go onto post-doctoral training, which is a period of two to four years working as a post-doc at a university. Post-docs conduct independent research projects and mentor undergraduate and graduate students. After completing their post-doc experience, many people will get hired for a faculty position in which they will become a professor, primary investigator, and/or run their own lab at a university or research institution. Some instead choose to take industry jobs, "where they work for companies to develop therapeutics or technologies." However, there are many other career pathways available to PhD graduates, including public policy and advocacy, conducting scientific outreach, teaching, writing/editing, creating scientific illustrations, working as a staff scientist, or managing a facility (such as director a microscopy core or bioinformatics group at a research institute).
Elizabeth is considering a path toward academia or public policy and advocacy, where she would "work with lawmakers and organizations to create science-based legislation." Her back-up plan is to become a cheesemaker, which she noted her scientific background provides the perfect foundation.
A Day in the Life
The life of a PhD student is busy with coursework, rotations, teaching, and research. Elizabeth is in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program at University of Washington (UW MCB), a program that will take her about 6 years to complete. It is what is known as an umbrella program, as it allows students to conduct research and take courses across different departments. Elizabeth sought this out because at the time she applied for graduate school, she knew that she wanted to focus on cancer research but did not yet have a strong opinion about which aspect she wanted to pursue in depth. Elizabeth explained that the program "allowed me to explore a lot of different science and take a wide variety of courses to better fine tune my direction." Elizabeth also sought out this particular program because she felt that it was focused on student wellbeing and not a high-pressure environment. She explained, "I knew that a program which cared for me as a human was more important to me than how competitive my program was."
Coursework
The MCB program requires that students take a certain number of graded courses. Many of the classes Elizabeth has taken focused on learning how to code and do bioinformatic analysis. She has also taken courses in stem cell biology, cancer therapeutics, statistics, and public speaking.
Lab Rotations
As part of her program, Elizabeth also has had to complete three rotations. Each rotation consists of working on a small-scale research project for ten weeks in a different lab. This provides an excellent opportunity for students to work in different research environments, with different areas of focus, along with different mentors and coworkers. Elizabeth noted: "I think rotations are critical in success in graduate school...What is most important is to find a lab environment in which you thrive." She reflected that "graduate school is a long hard road and it is important that the environment you are in be one that makes this process more enjoyable." Through her lab rotations, Elizabeth gained exposure to research into the formation of subcellular structures, aberrant gene expression proteins and immune system dysfunction, and the ways that viruses infect cells--all through a lens of cancer research.
Teaching
The MCB program also requires that students spend two quarters as Teaching Assistants (TAs). For one quarter, Elizabeth taught undergraduates (juniors and seniors) basic lab techniques. For another quarter, she helped support the Pathways Summer Fellowship Program at Fred Hutch, during which she mentored a college freshman who worked on a research project in the lab over one summer.
Research
PhD students are expected to conduct independent research and to share their findings in a final product known as a dissertation. When talking about her work in the lab, Elizabeth said, ""I love doing experiments. This work requires a lot of concentration and focus. It is not only satisfying when things work, but exciting when you get new results. On the best days, there is a period of time where you are the only one who knows something about how the world works."
Elizabeth's research project aims to understand a specific subset of age-related blood cancers called Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). In MDS, certain proteins (known as splicing factors) become mutated in blood cells. These mutations cause errors in mRNA processing. Elizabeth explained that "the goal of my work is to understand how mutations in splicing factors drive the formation of blood cancer by looking at specific mRNA processing events to determine how they change a cell's behavior. The ultimate goal of my work is to understand how these mutations drive cancer formation and to find druggable targets to improve patient treatment options."
In October 2022, Elizabeth was named the winner of the Neiman Outstanding Graduate Student Award for her work toward understanding causes and treatments for myelodysplastic syndromes, a type of blood cancer. Congratulations Elizabeth!
Video: Hutch@Home Virtual Field Trip
In this short Hutch@Home Video, Elizabeth talks about her research in the Stanley Lee Lab and how she came to study molecular biology.
Advice for Students
Interested in molecular biology? Are you curious about the mysteries of cells? Do you like conducting precise experiments? Do you thrive in a collaborative, team environment? Then a career in molecular biology could be a good fit for you. Elizabeth noted that her love for doing experiments drives her work, as does the feeling of being part of a scientific community. She explained that "it is an honor to spend time and learn from [my peers] or complain about how nothing is working and have them offer ideas as to how to fix them. It is a huge group of thinkers and problem solvers and I love our interactions." Elizabeth reflected that it is also important to note that "science can also be really emotionally draining," especially when experiments don't work or when there is pressure to perform and hit benchmarks.
Elizabeth advises high school students to be flexible. She reflected that, as she learned herself, "life never goes as you plan (especially the plans you make in high school)." She thinks it is important for high school students to realize that "your life is not defined by what is going on right now." Elizabeth continued, "your teenage years can feel so big and important, but they do not define you. Whatever is going on now will pass. You will grow and things will change. Be patient with yourselves and others. The world is yours to define."
Elizabeth also recommended that science-interested students seek out summer research fellowships while in high school and college. Fred Hutch offers several programs for high school students and undergraduates. These types of summer experiences are also hosted at universities across the country.
"Be flexible...Life is long, and the road is full of rocks and twists. You may find yourself in a place you never expected. I know I did."
— Elizabeth Bonner
U.S. Wage Information
According to the 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the median wage for biological scientists in the U.S. is $99,060.
Additional Resources
Credit: Thank you to Elizabeth for graciously participating in this project. Career profile written by Dr. Kristen Clapper Bergsman.