Taking a multidisciplinary approach

Celia Schiffer prefers to approach problems from a multidisciplinary viewpoint. She studied physics as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago and then expanded to biophysics — combining biology, chemistry and physics — for her Ph.D. at the University of California, San Francisco.

Celia Schiffer

“Even when I did my Ph.D., … I worked at the interface between doing experimental crystallography and computational molecular dynamics,” she said, “and that continues to this day when I apply biophysics, structural biology and chemistry to elucidating the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in quickly evolving diseases

For her multidisciplinary work on drug resistance, Schiffer will receive the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2020/2021 William C. Rose Award recognizing contributions to biochemical and molecular biological research and commitment to the training of younger scientists.

Schiffer started the Institute for Drug Resistance in the University of Massachusetts Medical School, which she currently heads. Her lab is known for a culture that enables researchers from diverse backgrounds to pursue their work amicably within the group.

“My lab has gained the reputation for being a friendly, supportive place to learn and do science,” Schiffer said.

She believes being respectful to fellow researchers is the key to a successful lab where science can be pursued without stresses that often selectively affect international students and those from underrepresented minority backgrounds.

Schiffer finds that some students suffer from imposter syndrome — believing they are not as good as their peers — despite what their professors or peers actually think. Exposure to broader scientific platforms, such as attending conferences, helps these students realize their potential, she said.

“I try to encourage my students so that they are able to see how their project fits into the bigger picture.”