I have known DEB (DD) since early 2000 as a student in the University of Delhi. It was good days for science enthusiasts in Delhi. I saw Deb occasionally on Libraries with his friend. His calm cool demeanour always told me of his intellect and wisdom. As the luck would have it we became room mate at IISc Bangalore few years down the lane. We immediately bonded. Deb came to UMASS Worcester for a postdoc but realized his heart lay in something else. He returned to India to eventually start his career in business development by 2012. He is currently the Director Business Development and Innovation at Leucine Rich Bio and has been a major player in the development of the company from its scratch. HE is one of the future leaders of Indian Biotechnology and it is always great to hear about his experiences in life. Hope enjoy all enjoy the interview- Ananda Ghosh (AG)
AG: Why did you choose IISC?
DD: Frankly, getting into IISc was like a dream come true. During our time there were only a handful of good institutes where one could get a good exposure to science and IISc ranked among the best.
AG: How was it in IISC?
DD: It was tough initially as we had to stay in an old hostel block with very basic amenities. I remember, we had to walk close to 100-200 meters to reach water purifier that too at 2:30 AM once we were back from our labs!
I had a great bunch of batch-mates across departments and superb seniors and colleagues in the lab that helped cushion lot of stress in the initial years!
AG: Best moments in IISC?
DD:
- Weekend get together at IISc tea board (now defunct) to discuss about our lives and share each others’ stress.
- Long walks and cycling with friends in the campus (one of the best in the world)
- Colloquium presentation
- Gymkhana movies on Fridays!
AG: Unique aspect of IISC?
DD: Campus plays a huge part in the lives of all the scholars. Also, I feel the hostel blocks (new ones) are pretty good and it lets meet students from different departments which lead to easy and productive sharing of ideas and understanding of each other’s subject
AG: What did you do after your PhD?
DD: I went to UMass Medical School, Worcester (MA) for my post-doctoral research. However, I returned back to India pretty soon and joined a drug discovery company as senior scientist wherein I learned the nuances of industry R&D. Thereafter, I have worked in pharma consultancy, Genomics companies and two start-ups (including the current one). I have had the opportunity to work on various domains and understand industry at all levels. My experience ranges from hard core R&D to business development, corporate communications, consultancy etc.
AG: What was your experience post PhD?
DD: It has been a roller–coaster ride. Many of us during our PhD feel that life is tough but trust me the real challenge begins post PhD. It is all about survival not only of the fittest but also of the people who can adapt and adopt better!
AG: How was coming back to India?
DD: It was good. I did get through my first ‘industry’ job quite early. However, it is always a challenge in the life science domain to keep oneself engaged in a productive manner especially in India as opportunities are not that great. Having said that, I would also add that if one is flexible enough, then it becomes a tad easier to wade through this phase!
AG: Did brand IISc help?
DD: Yes, it did but ultimately it boils down to the individual.
AG: What were the lessons learnt from early days of struggle?
DD:
- Patience (in tons)
- Perseverance
- Faith in one’s ability
- Positive outlook (although becomes difficult sometimes)
- Flexibility in approach
- Having multiple Plans (we learn that when our experiments fail)
- Having short-term, mid-term and long term goals
- Failure is a must to understand life and career! (Philosophical)
AG: Where are you now?
DD: I am now with genomics start-up company, Leucine Rich Bio Pvt Ltd. I along with my two colleagues run this organization. Leucine Rich Bio is a bioinformatics driven data analytics company and we envisage to build it in a way where it would cater to Clinics/diagnostics and research in academia and industry. We are also trying to actively pursue internal R&D especially in the realm of drug repositioning, biomarkers etc!
Please visit www.leucinerichbio.com for more detail. I would also urge ex and current IIScians to connect with me and help the organization grow in whichever way one can!
AG: Tell us about your recent experience.
DD: Running a start-up is not an easy task. However, I have a very good team that helps a lot in moving ahead. I have learnt a lot in past few years and am trying to incorporate those in my current venture. It is very important to have like minded people around you who appreciate your thoughts and experience and I am lucky that my co-directors are one of the best colleagues one could dream of!
AG: What is your vision for the next decade?
DD: To create value by making Leucine Rich Bio one of the best companies in the world to work for!
AG: What is your message for the young PhDs?
DD: Getting a PhD is not the end of the world, it is just the beginning! Be flexible in your approach towards your career and have complete faith in yourself.
——————————————————————————————————————————
This work by ClubSciWri is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
