Women in Science Celebration: Interview with Dr. Lilian Lamech

Tell us a little bit about yourself
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I’m currently a Biochemist at Chemeleon, a small biotech start-up in Brooklyn that is building rapid, easy-to-use colorimetric sensors for disease biomarkers and drugs of abuse. I moved to the US from India to get a degree in Biochemistry at Denison University, followed by a PhD in Microbiology at the University of Texas at Austin. I am passionate about protein and RNA folding as well as understanding how cellular organelles maintain their function under stress, which I was lucky to pursue during my time as a postdoc at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Over my academic career, I’ve had the opportunity to work in several fields ranging from structural and RNA biology to cancer biology and now really enjoy combining this expertise towards the development of biosensors. 

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What do you think the roadblocks are to representation of women in science? How can we improve women’s visibility in science?
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Growing up I assumed most scientific discoveries were done by men and learnt very little about the contributions of women to different scientific disciplines. Bringing these contributions to light in classrooms to highlight that women researchers were also making critical discoveries all through history and discussing the unique challenges they faced would be of great value. Having more young women scientists engaging with students in classrooms and answering important questions posed by the media is also important to help fight the current stereotype of the scientist. ​

'Highlight that women researchers were also making critical discoveries all through history and discussing the unique challenges they faced would be of great value.'

In your opinion, what is the best way to maintain work-life balance?

It’s important to be clear what your priorities are in both your career and personal life and dedicate your time accordingly. These priorities can change often, especially in a start-up, so I often reevaluate based on the needs of the coming weeks and make sure the goals are manageable. It’s also okay to say no sometimes and be clear about what can be reasonably accomplished within a certain time frame in order to manage expectations. 

'It’s also okay to say no sometimes and be clear about what can be reasonably accomplished'

What advice would you give yourself if you were starting your career today? What would you say to encourage other women to persevere in their career path?
Reach out and join communities around you that share common interests, whether it’s science policy, STEM outreach, activism  or entrepreneurship groups. It will help give you insight into how you enjoy engaging in science both in your career and personal life as well as provide you with a strong supportive network of mentors. 

'Reach out and join communities around you that share common interests (...) It will help give you insight into how you enjoy engaging in science'