Zachary Gerbec

Background

About Zachary Gerbec

I am a postdoctoral fellow with 10+ years of experience in preclinical biomedical research and 3+ years of experience in lab management and product development in chemical industry research. My areas of focus have been in immunology and immunotherapy, pre-clinical and clinical oncology research, and microbiology/microbiome studies. I am highly motivated and eager to improve and advance patient care in the field of oncology with the hope of optimizing cancer treatment going forward. Research Experience: • Independently conceptualized, designed, and carried out research projects that explored novel hypotheses in the field of immune oncology and cancer metastasis - resulting in multiple publications as a first author, and multiple publications with collaborators outside my institution where I was able to successfully work with and utilize resources not immediately available. • Received multiple awards for my work including the American Association of Immunologists Young Investigator Award. I also authored multiple funded grants that secured in lab funding from multiple sources. • Performed extensive analyses of immune cell function both in the tumor microenvironment and in the context of immunotherapy, and worked in the cutting edge field of microbial oncology and developed completely novel models and methods for studying the role of bacteria in metastatic disease. This 10+ years of experience in oncology and immunology research allowed me to developed a deep understanding of factors that determine the course of disease progression as well as the success of cancer treatment. Professional Experience: • Performed product optimization and structured the daily functions of a industry chemistry lab to meet the needs of the company. • Duties included integrating quality control and analytical testing responsibilities with novel product design and troubleshooting, as well as communicating with sales and marketing groups both during and after the product design process. • Served as a member of the sales staff at multiple conferences and trade shows and even acquired what was, at the time, the largest account in the history of the company. My experience in academic research will be an asset to my career going forward. In particular, though, my time working in industry will allow me to thrive in a position where I can combine my biomedical expertise with my experience in goal/product-oriented research to help achieve both project-specific and company-wide success.