Brandon Presley
叠.厂.:听Chemistry,聽Temple University
笔丑.顿.:听Chemistry,聽Temple University
What he does now:聽Analytical Chemist, Janssen Pharmaceuticals
WHAT HE DOES NOW:聽Analytical Chemist, Janssen Pharmaceuticals
顿辞飞苍濒辞补诲蝉:听Download Article (PDF)
Ask Brandon Presley about any twist and turn in his chemistry journey, and he鈥檒l tell you about people:聽The high school teacher who gave him the courage to sink his teeth into chemistry; the family and friends who encouraged him; and the mentors and colleagues who gave him focus when he鈥檇 spread himself too thin. For Presley, that deep connection between chemistry and people motivates him every day.
Now a chemist who helps analyze promising new cancer drugs, he channels his passion for understanding how the world works, using chemistry to improve people鈥檚 lives.
Presley鈥檚 path to becoming a chemist began early: He landed two research internships before graduating from high school. The internships came through Project SEED, an American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 program for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.聽
鈥淭hat was really a big deal for me,鈥� Presley says. 鈥淥nce I started to see how science connects everything, I was motivated to learn more.鈥�
In college, he leapt into more research, internships, and then landed a job as a forensic chemist. While working full-time analyzing samples from criminal cases and raising a family, he went back to school to get a Ph.D. He graduated in 2020, and has since been working with Janssen Pharmaceuticals鈥攁 job well suited to a chemist deeply concerned about matters larger than himself.
Today, Presley wears that love for chemistry with pride. Literally. In his wisps of free time, he makes and sells 鈥淪imple Science Tees鈥� bearing quirky references to chemistry. One reads: 鈥淎sk me about complementary base pairs (it鈥檚 in my DNA).鈥�
You may not buy (or even agree) with his 鈥淚鈥檇 rather be in the lab鈥� shirt, but you鈥檒l believe that he means it.聽
The following interview with Pressley was edited for length and clarity.聽
What first sparked your love for chemistry?
My high school chemistry teacher, Mrs. Shirley Lassoff. She just had a very enthusiastic personality. She was chemistry, like the way she wrote her name on the board with subscripts. We actually reconnected a couple years back. It was pretty amazing to tell her that I was getting my Ph.D. in chemistry of all things.
Do any mishaps or failures stick out to you as formative experiences?
For a long time, I tried to do as much as I possibly could. That actually became a stumbling block for me because I was too busy. And then, I had a mentor tell me, 鈥淵ou can have 10 things that are 90% complete. But that just means that you haven鈥檛 finished anything.鈥� I use that to this day, and as a result, I鈥檝e gotten such clarity and focus in my life.
That makes sense coming from someone who balanced graduate school with a full-time forensic science job. What did you like about that job?
I tested samples submitted by law enforcement for the presence or absence of controlled substances. Testifying in court was definitely the highlight for me, because it brings it full circle. You get this case that comes to the lab, and you鈥檙e responsible for the testing and for submitting a report. Then you get to testify about your findings.
What was your first time testifying in court like?
It was a high-profile case. I just remember the courtroom being packed. There were cameras and everything. So I was very nervous, but I think I did a good job.
What do you work on now at Janssen Pharmaceuticals?
I develop methods to test biotherapeutics and then transfer those methods to quality-control labs. Most of the medications that I鈥檓 working on are for cancer therapies. It鈥檚 very rewarding. The drugs that I get to test have the potential to literally change someone鈥檚 life for the better.
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