10/28/2022
Alumni Success Story: Arunachal Chatterjee, PhD
University where PhD was obtained: The University of Calcutta in March 2011.
Duration of training and lab: I worked at Lerner from December 3rd, 2012 to May11th, 2015. I worked in two labs (Dr. Karniks’s and Dr. Prasad’s) in the Department of Molecular Cardiology (now Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences) as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow.
Work at Lerner: While at Lerner, I studied the role of connective tissue growth factor as well as the GPCR Mas and angiotensin-II receptors in cardiac dysfunction. I also studied the role of β-adrenergic receptor in cardiac diseases.
Successes while at Lerner: I published four papers while at Lerner, including one first author publication. I also received the AHA Great Rivers Affiliate Winter 2015 Postdoctoral Fellowship for my project titled “Impaired beta-adrenergic receptor resensitization contributes to cardiac dysfunction.”
New position title: Currently, I am working as an Assistant Professor of Zoology in Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose College, affiliated with the University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India. I also work as a Guest Lecturer in the Department of Zoology (post-graduate section), Asutosh College, Kolkata. In my free time, I volunteer as an Executive Council Member for one of the oldest Academic Societies in Asia:The Zoological Society, Kolkata, India.
New role description: My primary responsibility is teaching, which also happens to be my favorite part of the job. My position also entails administrative and research work.
Preparations provided at Lerner: I became a more organized person with the help of Russell Desnoyer, who is a research technologist in the Kranik Lab. My speaking and mentoring skills also improved under the guidance of Dr. Karnik. The most important thing that I received from the Karnik Lab was an increase in confidence. I’m very grateful to Dr. Karnik for helping me to develop my career. All of the skills that I developed at Lerner helped me immensely when I returned to India for my current position.
Reflecting on time at Lerner: Yes, I miss the people in the Karnik Lab a lot.
Advice for current Lerner postdocs: Stay connected with other labs and their people, listen to them, work methodically, and enjoy Lerner’s research facilities; all these things will definitely prepare you for the next level.