Wade Zeno knew he wanted to work in academia after tutoring for most of his undergraduate career at University of Nevada, Reno. Now, he’s achieved that goal. After getting a PhD in chemical engineering from University of California, Davis and spending four years as a postdoctoral researcher working with Associate Professor Jeanne Stachowiak at UT Austin, he accepted a job as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at University of Southern California, starting in August 2020.
What type of work are you doing at USC?
One area I work in is characterizing the interactions of proteins and lipids found in our body. One of my first projects is going to be a collaboration with a local biotech company that’s working on a therapeutic for Parkinson’s disease, where protein aggregates form in neurons. The biotech company is making graphene nanoparticles that have been shown to break up these protein aggregates. In order for the company to move the therapeutic to clinical trials, they need to understand how this process works. I will be using my skills to figure out how this mechanism works and seeing how these principles can be applied to other diseases where this aggregation behavior exists.
Why did you decide to do a postdoctoral fellowship at UT Austin?
The opportunity to work with Jeanne Stachowiak was very useful for pursuing the research endeavors that motivate me. Her lab allowed me to expand my biological expertise by working with live cells, protein purification, and quantitative fluorescence techniques. The experience helped me become a more well-rounded biophysicist, and the mentorship opportunities prepared me to be an independent researcher.
In addition to Jeanne, Dave Thirumalai, who works in the field of polymer physics, from the UT Austin Chemistry Department was a good mentor. He was instrumental in helping me get my first postdoctoral publication in Nature Communications. Eileen Lafer from UT Health Science Center in San Antonio also was helpful. I visited her lab to get help with difficult protein purification protocols, and now these are all skills I can take with me and teach students in my lab.
How did UT Austin prepare you?
The experience helped change my views on research. Initially, I had very little grant writing experience so independent research seemed daunting and stressful. You have to write proposals and get funded, all while teaching classes and managing students and their projects. But ultimately, I learned that all of this is very doable.
My perspective shifted when I received the NIH postdoctoral fellowship a few years ago. The proposal for this fellowship was a slightly less intense version of what independent researchers have to write for their funding. Jeanne has had a lot of success with grants and getting funded, so she was an excellent role model. With her mentorship and support, I earned a perfect score on the proposal. Writing that proposal was probably one of the most difficult things I had ever done. But looking back, I realize that the experience wasn’t that bad. It was just very time consuming. Now I have some idea of what it takes to get funding and have much more confidence in my abilities.
Teaching or research? Do you prefer one over the other?
I like research more than I used to, but what initially motivated me to become a professor is teaching, which I initially got into as an undergraduate tutor. I am excited about setting up my own lab and having complete autonomy and the ability to customize my lab. So I guess my answer is that I like both equally!
What excites you about LA and USC?
LA itself is an exciting and fun city. While in Austin, I became a bit of a foodie, so I’m excited by the LA food scene. USC is a really great school with great students. I’m excited to work with young bright minds and to hopefully learn a lot from them too.
