David Charest

Like many youth in Canada I completed high school. During those years I worked at different labour jobs in demolition, construction and trucking. These weekend and summer work experiences with physical labour really made think about what else I could do that would challenging me intellectually.

A university education seemed like the logical direction to take even though many members of my extended family never completed elementary school let alone secondary school. This was unknown territory for me and my first year in university was a disaster. Many things went wrong from finances to lack of support systems to help me along the way. Not to be discouraged I returned to the following year with better success. I started out in kinesiology only to take a course in genetics. This really changed my interest toward how life is influenced and directed by genes and proteins.

In my sophomore year I joined the Co-op program. I was almost not accepted because there were other students with higher grades. I persisted and secured my first job in an organic chemistry lab focused on determining the structure of moth pheromones (communication molecules that influence animal behaviour). I also found a part-time job working in a genetics lab in which my individual research project led to a self-directed honours project and later to a publication in very good genetics journal.

After 5.5 years of undergraduate study I decided to work as a research technician at a university lab for 3 years. This allowed me to have a break from school, pay back my student loan and think about next steps. I was working in a molecular biology and biochemistry lab in signal transduction (communication molecules between and within cell). Because I was hard working, independent and analytical with good problem solving skills (all things you learn all along your educational path) I was given a lot of freedom to lead research projects with little or no focus on lab management activities like purchasing, equipment maintenance etc.

After 3 years I pulled the trigger and entered a PhD program working in the same lab. The field I was working in was very competitive. Research papers were coming out in prestigious journals on research I was trying to do on my own. (I was getting scooped badly!). I was stubborn and thought that more hard work would allow me to compete against these larger labs. It was during my PhD that I learned the value of collaboration and that the old view of the lone scientist was outdated and unproductive. I carry this lesson into everything I do as I realize now that science is done globally and partnerships can be created with researchers anywhere in the world.

After finishing my PhD I decided that I wanted to take a different direction than becoming a professor. I always had an interest in solving problems through science and working for a biotechnology company trying to find medicines for cancer or Alzheimer's meant that what I did could have an impact on someone's life. My current position similarly requires good communications skills and an interest and ability to work in a team and in partnership. This makes the work all that more rewarding because you can share the success and the difficulties with others who are equally passionate about the work.