Lisa Bernstein is a Senior Programmer Analyst in the Scientific Computing Department at Genentech's main campus in South San Francisco, California. Genentech discovers, develops and manufactures protein pharmaceuticals using biotechnology. The role of the Scientific Computing department is to support the work of Genentech scientists and engineers.
"We support projects throughout the company," Lisa explains. "The projects range from basic research into new drug treatments to the manufacturing of marketed products. We also research, evaluate & develop new computing technologies for the company. In my projects I collaborate with computer specialists and with biological scientists. Many of my collaborators have graduate degrees, including PhDs, and they come from a variety of disciplines, including physiology, biochemistry, computer science, chemical engineering, statistics, biophysics and neuroscience. One of the things I really like about this job is how much variety there is."
"I have many roles here, including
"The most common use of math (and statistics) in the Scientific Computing Department is in the analysis of experimental data. Often, our scientists use mathematical models with some free parameters to describe chemical and biological phenomena such as
"The scientists make some experimental measurements, and then try to fit the parameters in the mathematical model to the data gathered. In Scientific Computing, we answer questions about such analyses (e.g.: 'Why isn't this nonlinear regression calculation converging?'), develop new computer programs to carry out such analyses, and assist scientists in developing or choosing a models. Mathematical knowledge is important in understanding the models themselves, in understanding and recommending statistical methods and algorithms to be used for data fitting, and in implementing such techniques in software."
Lisa has a B.A. in Physics from Rice University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the Program in Applied Mathematics at the University of Arizona, where she worked on nonlinear dynamics problems with links to the biological sciences. She continued to work on nonlinear science problems inspired by biological systems during a post-doc in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, and for several years in a tenure-track position at Idaho State University.
Lisa says that her academic positions were challenging, rewarding and fun, but in 1996 she begain looking for industry jobs in locations where both she and her husband, an engineer, could find rewarding careers. "I looked for an applied math position associated with high-quality scientific research, preferably in the biological sciences."
"I have been at Genentech for about 2 years now," she continues. "The process of getting this position started when I travelled to the San Francisco Bay Area at my own expense to visit potential employers. One of the people I contacted was Genentech's Vice President for Information Resources, another PhD applied mathematician whom I had met several years earlier at a one-day SIAM workshop on Mathematics in Industry. It turned out that the position I now hold had just opened up at the time that I called, and I was able to set up a first interview during my Bay Area visit."
"If you are wondering about the 'industry vs. academia' question, do your best to clarify your own values and long-term goals, in as general terms as possible. I spent hours with 'What Color Is Your Parachute' clarifying what I liked about my experiences in academia, so that I could effectively look for those ingredients elsewhere. Then, talk to people, and try to see for yourself. Ask for an informational interview, chat with people at research conferences, request a tour of a department or better yet apply for an internship with a company that appeals to you. Women might benefit from talking to other women mathematicians already working in industry or in a particular company. Work environments and corporate cultures vary widely from company to company; some are more 'women friendly' than others."
"If you are wondering how to prepare for an industry position, I recommend learning about the subject matter of the industry -- for me that meant learning more science. Ideally I would have learned more molecular biology and biochemistry for this position, but my background in physics and chemistry has served me well and makes it easier to learn the rest. (The physics has been very important for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging project). I still spend a good deal of time studying, to understand the scientific background of the problems I work on. I wouldn't be here if I had known just math and little science."
"My other advice on preparation for industry is to develop expertise in computing. Programming skills and general computing knowledge are a way to get your foot in the door at a company, and a computed-based solution is very often the right approach to solving the kinds of "messy" real-world math problems that come up in an industry setting."
Lisa also has a number of mathematics and non-mathematics courses she recommends for students interested in her area of work.
