Student Perspective: Clayton Brown
Biochemistry
Lab: Dr. Peter Kim
Why did you choose the Biosciences PhD programs at Stanford University?
I chose to come to Stanford because it was the only place where I felt science was truly interdisciplinary and translational. All of the biosciences programs plus the medical school are on the same campus! You can have breakfast with an immunologist, lunch with a biophysicist and dinner with a physician without having to even get on a bike.
Describe your research.
HIV, Influenza and Ebola, despite being completely different at the amino acid and nucleotide level, all use similiar types of proteins to enter and infect cells. My research focuses on exploiting these mechanistic similarities to engineer protein inhibitors that block viral entry.
What do you like about living in the Bay Area?
My favorite thing about the bay area is its ability to turn ideas and concepts into reality. With one of the highest biotech startup rates in the world, there's a sense that your science will actually make someone's life better.
Do you have any advice to share with prospective students?
My advice to prospective students is to periodically ask yourself, "What do I want from graduate school?" Asking yourself this from time to time will help you stay focused and keep you from sweating the small stuff.
What advice would you give an incoming student about choosing her or his thesis lab?
Do not forget to consider the lab environment when making your decision. Grad school is hard. A positive lab environment will inspire you to keep pushing even after months of failure. Also, when you finally do succeed, you'll have a group of friends celebrating with you.
