Who: EpiGenie Web is the team of folks who scour through PubMed, watch out for interesting epigenetics press releases, conduct interviews with epigenetics researchers, and work closely with the technology providers to stay on top of the most applicable technologies driving epigenetics-related research. Some of us have held marketing positions, developing and promoting products at tool companies, while others have held R&D and technical writing positions. Some of us have PhDs while others have ADD. At some point we’ve all held a pipet though, but traded it in for a wireless mouse and a different type of carpal tunnel.
Why: We love the field of epigenetics. Every week we gain an increasing appreciation for the complexities of gene regulation and how integral epigenetics really is, but that pales in comparison to how much we appreciate the folks sweating in out in the labs producing the work we read. EpiGenie is the way we hook up the research community that gives us something to read and talk about.
How: We have a team of motivated technical writers, database peeps, web development, and search engine marketing gurus, who work closely with our Editor to produce content and make sure people see it.
Where: Want to visit us? We’d love to have you, so if you’re ever in Del Mar (CA), please look us up and we’ll buy you a beer or coffee or something. Actually, Del Mar is where our P.O. Box is located, but there’s a really nice copy machine next to it that doubles as a coffee/cocktail table for social events. Most of our team is scattered all over the country and thanks to this neat invention called the internet, it’s all good.
Wowza, you look good! That’s right...the most important component of EpiGenie is the researchers in academic and industrial labs that bust their buns every day giving us something to write about. We know you didn’t go into the field for fame, but we also know it’s nice to be recognized for your contributions. So if you want to share your stance on a topic or call attention to a new method you developed step up to the mic.
It took Pete a few years of research at Indiana University and various R&D positions at Abbott Laboratories, Immunogenex, and Gen-Probe to realize he had 10 thumbs in the lab and that it was safer for himself and the broader research community if he head into marketing. After seven years marketing and leading strategic product development for research tool companies Genset and Invitrogen, Pete got the entrepreneurial itch, ditched the cube, and headed to the beach town Florianopolis, Brazil to help a friend stoke the marketing furnace of his surf tour operation.
It was during this time that the foundation for EpiGenie was conceived and developed. After hundreds of caipirinhas and late nights of samba, Pete returned back to Del Mar, California to be closer to the research community in San Diego and the States in general, where he works closely with his all-star cast of technical writers, web developers, and most importantly, the innovative researchers that give EpiGenie something to broadcast. When Pete isn’t working on EpiGenie, you can find him surfing in North County, San Diego or changing crazy numbers of diapers compliments of his favorite infant.
Mason spent the last ten years in the trenches of the San Diego biotech community and has the carpal tunnel syndrome to prove it! His epigenetics immersion began while working at Invitrogen, where he was a key player in developing some of the epigenetics research products you're probably using. Leading with our miniscule salary and non-existent benefits package, we managed to convince Mason to join us.
Relishing the opportunity to be a part of an innovative new way of spreading information to the research community and take a breather from the smell of TEMED, Mason jumped at the chance to become a part of EpiGenie. Mason is a San Diego native and a huge sports fan, which of course means that he is eternally tortured by his favorite teams, the Padres and the Chargers. When he isn’t working, posing for romantic sunset portraits, or at home with his wife, Jessica, Mason can usually be found playing poker or softball with his friends…or if time and his broken down body allow, he’ll be bodyboarding (we don't hold it against him) or mountain biking.
Laura C provides technical writing muscle to EpiGenie. An avid writer growing up, Laura’s talents landed her several awards at an early age, but a natural curiosity and interest in the sciences drove her to pursue work in research. Her interest in non-coding RNA was stimulated by her early work as a graduate student at the Mayo Clinic where she investigated RNA decoys. After receiving a Ph.D, she moved to the Best Coast and studied the RNA component of telomerase as a post-doc in Elizabeth Blackburn’s lab at UCSF.
A Colorado native, Laura decided to head back to the Rockies and today lives in the Denver area where she revels in the opportunity to combine her scientific interests with her passion for writing as a technical writer/editor. In her 10 minutes of spare time each week in between writing, editing, and chasing after her two-year-old daughter, Laura enjoys hiking, gardening, and reading mystery/suspense novels.
Josh R.’s long and varied career has taken him from smoke-filled newsrooms and hallowed ivy-covered halls, through sterile hoods and animal rooms, to the mellow ambiance of cafes. Originally from the ’burbs of New York, Josh earned a masters in history and philosophy of science (at the U of Toronto) before signing up for the U of Minnesota’s Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics program.
But he’s always been a journalist, having written his first article for the NY Times while still in high school, and working his way through college and grad school as a mercenary hack. He still lives in Minneapolis, now with his wife and two children, a cat, 2 rats, and a dog. When not writing at a coffee shop (gotta love Wi-Fi!), Josh is usually found in his photo studio or out shooting an event, that is until 5:30 pm or so, when he turns into Super Dad.
Katie has always loved reading and thinking about science. (She even went to a “science and tech” high school!) In grad school at JHU, she dabbled in yeast genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry. At her postdoc at the NIH, she continued her journey into the mysteries of yeast cell division, but also started looking at other ways to put her love of science to work. That’s when she realized that science writing was the career for her. Since then, Katie has written articles on grants and careers for Science’s Next Wave (now Science Careers) and on proteomics and analytical chemistry for the American Chemical Society (ACS).
She even won an Honorable Mention from the Trade, Association, and Business Publications International organization for an online feature story she wrote for ACS on data sharing in the proteomics community. When she’s not writing about the latest scientific breakthroughs, Katie likes to read mysteries and biographies, pop onto Twitter and Facebook, and travel. Currently, her coordinates place her in a high-rise in NY with (on a very clear day) a view of the Big Apple.
Paul is EpiGenie's resident SEO / SEM or Search Engine Optimization and Marketing expert. He makes sure that people find our articles in the sea of content on the internet by managing all on-page and off-page optimization. Paul also leads our SEO Services that help companies in the Life Sciences sector get their products seen by potential customers. When Paul isn't engaged in some SEO related work, he's usually reading about the latest, best practices in SEO, and when he's not reading about SEO, he's thinking about it. He also plays tennis and has a funny accent.
Stephanie handles a bundle of EpiGenie's web-based marketing and database management. Her uncanny ability to simultaneously manage dozens of Google Adwords campaigns is outdone only by the number of cups of coffee/cans of energy drinks she can pound in a day's work. Stephanie is a Silicon Valley native who couldn't resist the appeal of Southern California's perpetual summer. When she's not hard at work, Stephanie is usually planning her next camping or hiking adventure.