I sat down with Gerd Prehna about his time at the CBR.

Question & Answer (Brandy & Gerd)

B: Where are you from originally?

G: New York, I moved to Vancouver in 2007

B: So you moved to Vancouver for the position with Natalie’s lab?

G: Yes, the job is what brought me to Vancouver.

B: How have you liked Vancouver?

G: I have loved Vancouver, my time here has been great, it was a lot more expensive than I expected!

 

B: When did you first know you were interested in science?

G: From very early on, as a kid I watched Mr. Wizard on Nickelodeon, it’s an American show.

B: That’s probably why I never heard of it!

 

B: Who was your supervisor while you were at with the CBR?

G: Natalie Strynadka

B: What was your primary research while in Natalie’s lab?

G: Structural Biology of secreted bacterial proteins.

 

B: Why Natalie’s Lab?

G: Natalie has one of the premiere structural biology labs in the world that specializes in bacterial secretion and antibiotic resistance.

 

B: Has there been a favourite conference, event or seminar you attending during your time at UBC?

G: Lindau Conference, Chemistry 2009

 

B: What has been your greatest challenge about being a post doc?

G: Understanding time management how many projects I can do at once.

 

B: What advice do you have for current or potential students?

G: Your peers are good support, ask for help when needed.

 

B: What are your plans upon leaving the CBR?

G: I am moving to Chicago to work as a Senior Structural Biology Research Specialist at the Center for Structural Biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

B: Wow, congratulations!

 

B: What do you hope to be doing 5 years from now?

G: I hope to have my own lab at the Center for Structural Biology, with my own funding. That is the plan with this new position to eventually have me running my own lab.

 

B: Who will you miss the most, me or the ladies from Caffe Perugia?

G: The Caffe ladies.

B: I’m hurt