From Electrical Engineer to Tissue Engineer

[DonnieBrasco]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I did my undergrad in EE. I'm looking to transition into something in the biomedical space, particularly tissue engineering. I might want to do a PhD, but I'm just seeking a new challenge at this point in my life. Is there any way that I can work part-time in some kind of an academic lab doing some basic cell culturing experiments?

 

[CrysPhys]

Do you mean work part time for pay or no pay (just for experience)? Chances are greater if you opt for no pay.

(a) Do you have a friend or family member who runs a bio lab and would be willing to take you on as a personal favor? That's one option.

(b) Another option is to find a bio lab in need of EE services (e.g., instrumentation, data collection, and programming) and barter EE services for bio training. Here's one example of how it worked in reverse. When I was doing my bachelor's thesis in physics, my advisor was interested in wave propagation and transport phenomena. Most of the work concentrated on single-crystal samples, but the professor (his background was primarily in microwave spectroscopy and solid-state physics) also got interested in characterizing tissues. One collaborator was an MD, who brought toads into the lab. He dissected them to harvest tissue samples from their bladders. So the MD had bio skills and knowledge to offer, and he gained physics skills and knowledge.

 

[StatGuy2000]

To the OP:

I have a few questions:

1. How long has it been since you have completed your undergraduate degree in electrical engineering (EE)?

2. Are you currently working as an electrical engineer?

Your answers to the above questions will help inform others on how best to advise on how to proceed to transitioning to biomedical engineering (of which there is a considerable overlap with EE).

 

[DonnieBrasco]

1. How long has it been since you have completed your undergraduate degree in electrical engineering (EE)?

Just under 2 years.

2. Are you currently working as an electrical engineer?

Yes. I’ve mostly worked on ASICs and SW stuff.

 

[DonnieBrasco]

Do you mean work part time for pay or no pay (just for experience)? Chances are greater if you opt for no pay.

(a) Do you have a friend or family member who runs a bio lab and would be willing to take you on as a personal favor? That's one option.

(b) Another option is to find a bio lab in need of EE services (e.g., instrumentation, data collection, and programming) and barter EE services for bio training. Here's one example of how it worked in reverse. When I was doing my bachelor's thesis in physics, my advisor was interested in wave propagation and transport phenomena. Most of the work concentrated on single-crystal samples, but the professor (his background was primarily in microwave spectroscopy and solid-state physics) also got interested in characterizing tissues. One collaborator was an MD, who brought toads into the lab. He dissected them to harvest tissue samples from their bladders. So the MD had bio skills and knowledge to offer, and he gained physics skills and knowledge.

(b) sounds like a more realistic route for me. Do academic labs hire people or take on volunteers who have spent some time (just under 2 years) working in industry? I’d imagine it’s hard to start that conversation due to my lack of a .edu email haha

 

[CrysPhys]

(b) sounds like a more realistic route for me. Do academic labs hire people or take on volunteers who have spent some time (just under 2 years) working in industry? I’d imagine it’s hard to start that conversation due to my lack of a .edu email haha

It really depends on whether you have skills and knowledge of value to the professor. Working in industry could be a plus if your experience there is of value. A two year break from school by itself should not be detrimental, if that's what you're worried about. In situations like these, personal networking helps a lot, rather than firing emails off to random professors. Is your alma mater an option?

 

[berkeman]

Welcome to PF, Donnie.

I did my undergrad in EE. I'm looking to transition into something in the biomedical space, particularly tissue engineering.

What is tissue engineering exactly? What-all does it entail?

Is there any way that I can work part-time in some kind of an academic lab doing some basic cell culturing experiments?

Do you have some training in working in a biology lab? The skills we learn in EE labs are pretty orthogonal to biology labs, I would think. If not yet, there are probably plenty of videos and other training resources online to get you up to speed.

 

[DonnieBrasco]

Is your alma mater an option?

My alma mater may be an option. However, I don't have any direct connections to the bio department.

 

[DonnieBrasco]

Welcome to PF, Donnie.

What is tissue engineering exactly? What-all does it entail?

Do you have some training in working in a biology lab? The skills we learn in EE labs are pretty orthogonal to biology labs, I would think. If not yet, there are probably plenty of videos and other training resources online to get you up to speed.

Thanks! You’ve all been very helpful and welcoming :)

Tissue engineering involves growing biological material and leverages skillsets from multiple engineering disciplines. Regenerative medicine would be one such application. This entails growing tissues to repair damaged organs in patients.

I don’t have much training in bio labs beyond high school bio labs. Would a coursera course carry any weight for getting a volunteer gig in a lab?

 

[CrysPhys]

My alma mater may be an option. However, I don't have any direct connections to the bio department.

First check out the bio professors that are doing what you are interested in. Then contact your previous professors and see whether any of them know the bio professors. If so, ask for an introduction. If not, contact the bio professors directly, introducing yourself as a recent alum.