From the lab bench to the computer desk
Mollie Plekan MS’24 pursued a Brandeis Online degree to jump-start her transition to a role in statistical genetics.
This post was written by Mollie Plekan MS’24.
My name is Mollie Plekan, and I graduated from Brandeis Online with a Master of Science in Bioinformatics in March 2024.
Currently, I am a senior associate scientist in the human genetics team at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. I analyze human genetics data from large biobanks with the goal of finding an RNAi drug target for patients in need. I started working in this position just as I started my master’s degree, with both endeavors being monumental steps in my career development trajectory.
I decided to pursue a master’s because I felt that if I didn’t, I would be starting my new role without a solid foundation to build upon. Coming from the research lab bench, I knew I needed to jumpstart my transition to statistical genetics with a computational degree and the Bioinformatics program was the perfect fit. The curriculum included classes which outlined areas I knew would be crucial in the statistical genetics role, from the basic lessons in generating clear, concise code to understanding how changes to the inputs of commonly used genetic regression analyses would affect each outcome.
When beginning my master’s degree search, I highly prioritized programs that valued part-time students’ working and academic lives as being equally important. I never saw myself in a graduate program that required me to rush from work to a classroom in the late hours of the evening. Brandeis always stood out to me for that reason. The asynchronous learning paradigm allowed me to make my own schedule, which led to my success in all ten classes.
Even though the Bioinformatics program is strictly online, I still felt close to my classmates and professor and always had someone to turn to for help. One professor taught multiple classes in a subject I struggled with, and he was more than willing to set up one-on-one meetings or respond to emails when I felt too overwhelmed with my problem set. With his guidance, I grasped how to approach some of the questions I routinely fumbled and ultimately performed well in each class.
Every class I took contributed to my day-to-day work in different ways. For example, I had a rudimentary grasp on statistics before starting this program, but several of the classes tremendously compounded these skills, including how to set up a statistically robust association test, what the results mean relating to the hypothesis and how to divulge and visualize that data for an audience.
After graduating, my degree has made me more confident in taking on new tasks at work and setting clearer goals for my continued career development. I would return to Brandeis for another master’s program in a heartbeat!
To learn more about the MS in Bioinformatics and other Brandeis Online programs, please visit our academics page.