How’s it going? My name Tomas Kasza, I’m a 3rd year PhD student in the Neuroscience program at Rutgers University. Although I am studying here in New Jersey , I am originally from California. In 2012, I received my degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Santa Cruz. My passion for research was sparked by participating in an undergraduate research course called Phage Hunters (http://seaphages.org/). In this class, we were tasked with purifying and naming our own bacteriophage, a virus that infects bacteria. During this experience, I fell in love with designing experiments, contemplating my data, and working at the bench. Prior to my time at Rutgers, my past research has spanned evolutionary biology, structural biochemistry, molecular genetics, neuronal communication, and currently adult neurogenesis. I work in the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine with Dr. James Millonig studying signaling pathways of adult neural stem cells. I am searching for new drug targets to create more neurons to repair brain damage. One consistent theme throughout my research career has been my enthusiasm! I like to share my love of research by mentoring high school and college students through many of the volunteer programs with local students at Rutgers. My career interests have been nearly as diverse as my research interests. The graduate students from the diverse graduate programs at Rutgers University have created many graduate student clubs that can inform students about the plethora of research career options available. My career goals involve obtaining a specialized postdoctoral position where I can develop my skills for more pragmatic technical training beyond the bench. I envision myself completing a specialized industry postdoctoral position, or acting as a regulatory affairs liaison between several different organizations. Finding these programs can be a treasure hunt, but that is what I do as a researcher, right? 
Since starting graduate school, my personal life has been dramatic and moves at a frenetic pace. My wife and I met at Rutgers in the fall of 2014 before getting married in spring of 2016 in Northern California. Ten months later, we welcomed our daughter, Eleanor, into the world. These happy life changes have challenged me to change my work habits and investigate new ways of being a productive scientist. I am also working to improve my scientific communication skills including writing and presentations because they are important for my career goals. Between all these activities, I enjoy watching and playing soccer and satisfying my appetite for Chinese food. I feel blessed to have the choice to pursue a career in research and I hope you find my posts useful and insightful in understanding why the Rutgers University community and New Jersey are special places for me.
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