Though it may seem like a job in research may not fit with your career path, research provides you with many skills, experiences, and perspectives that can strengthen and reinforce your vocational path! This is the case for Jillian Stamp and Grace Hoffman who found their love for research in an undergraduate research experience.

Jillian Stamp is a current MD-PhD student working in the Kareta Lab here at Sanford Research. She hopes to become an oncologist and plans to use her knowledge of research to improve patient care.

Grace Hoffman is a research specialist in the Loukil Lab and is planning to begin her PhD in biomedical and translational sciences. She hopes to become an embryologist but is open to returning to academia to teach in the future.

How did you become interested in the research field?

For Stamp, her exposure to research occurred when attending PROMISE scientist lectures here at Sanford when she was in high school. “I was introduced to a couple of physician-scientists through that lecture series. I knew I wanted to work in the medical field, and I thought I wanted to be a physician, but I had no idea that there were opportunities to do both.”

Hoffman has “always been super interested in the scientific process and wanted to know what was happening and why” in her science classes in school. This inquisitive nature is what led her to pursue research opportunities in college. “Initially, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, and then once I saw all the amazing people working to figure out medicine instead of implementing it, I knew that biomedical research provided the right path, and I loved it.”

When you were in undergrad, did you get research experience? If so, why did you choose to apply?

Stamp participated in the SPUR program, which she credits as the catalyst for “wanting research to be an essential part of [her] career.” The Sanford Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) hosts college students for a ten-week experience researching in the labs here at Sanford. Though she had the opportunity to research at her college, she applied for SPUR due to the variety of research topics here at the Sanford labs that were more closely aligned with her career goals.

Hoffman jumped at the opportunity to do research, with her first experience being in an organic chemistry synthesis lab with one of her professors. “I would take a class, and my favorite part was the three hour chunk you get to be in the lab” she says, explaining her enjoyment for lab work. After this, she went on to work in another lab, which focused on genetics and gave her experience in a field closer to her interests.

What are some skills that research has taught you?

“There are so many skills that you develop outside of the lab, things like experimental planning and design, communicating your science to other scientists as well as to community members and non-scientists,” Stamp affirms. “Research offers you a lot of both soft and hard skills that are very translatable to a variety of different careers, everything from science communication to more administrative skills.”

“The most important thing was culturing soft skills outside of the lab” says Hoffman. “You can apply those skills of critical thinking and investigation to other areas of research or subjects.” As she explained, “One of the biggest skills I learned was open-mindedness to the diverse background of research, because sometimes we forget there is power in ‘little-kid curiosity.’”

How do you believe that your previous research experience has influenced your current career path?

Stamp hopes to combine her research knowledge with her medical skills to improve patient care. She explains “I never felt like it was fair to my patients or good enough for me just to show up in the clinic and do my best to treat them, because there are so many unanswered questions about cancer and a million other topics. I want to do everything I can for my patients.”

“I think research as an undergrad student and then here at Sanford has opened my mind to all of the opportunities.” Hoffman elaborated. “I think for me, research empowered me to want to be at the front lines of scientific exploration, knowing that I could be the person that finds something nobody else knows yet. That is just so exciting.”  

Would you recommend research to an undergraduate student interested in a career in science?

“For students in undergrad right now who are considering research, I would encourage you to apply and try it out. You have nothing to lose, and by the end, you’ve learned something about yourself and your career path” says Stamp. 

From Hoffman, “I would encourage you as a student to take every opportunity that’s given to you. Take the opportunity and be willing to learn about something you love—or something you don’t. Don’t be afraid to forge a new path.” She wisely advises “Every opportunity you have to learn from somebody is just one way you’re going to better yourself, and I think that’s huge.”

For more information on the SPUR program, visit this page: https://research.sanfordhealth.org/academic-programs/undergraduates/spur

Talk to your academic advisor to learn more about research opportunities at your university.