So You Want to be a Biogerontologist
If a job needs doing, there's something to be said for stepping up to help out directly. A number of younger folk in the healthy life extension community see that engineered longevity within our lifetimes is possible, and in response direct their studies and career goals towards biotechnology and aging research. A few of the braver older folk have mastered the challenge of switching careers in mid-flow, returning to university in order to become life science researchers, focused on the biology of aging.
Biogerontology is a sub-field of gerontology studying the biological processes of aging. It is composed of the interdisciplinary research on biological aging's causes, effects, and mechanisms in order to better understand human senescence. ... Biomedical gerontology, also known as experimental gerontology and life extension, is a sub discipline of biogerontology that endeavors to slow, prevent, and even reverse aging in both humans and animals. Curing age-related diseases is one approach, and slowing down the underlying processes of aging is another.
So how does a person go about steering studies or a career with the aim of becoming a biogerontologist? I note that academic researcher Joao Pedro Magalhaes maintains a good overview aimed at students in the university system:
By and large, biogerontologists work at research institutions, typically universities or laboratories, though a few also work in the industry and a few companies research aging. The vast majority of biogerontologists have a PhD (or sometimes an MD or both), so if you want to become a biogerontologist you should be prepared to go to graduate and/or medical school. While it is possible to study aging in a private company or as a staff member of a research institution, the majority of well-known biogerontologists have their own research group, like ours, at a research institution. Again, you can certainly contribute to research on aging in a variety of ways and even without making of it your main job, yet if you are serious about becoming a biogerontologist and doing independent research at the highest level then this usually implies developing an academic career....
One major doubt of students is which topics they should study to prepare themselves for a career in biogerontology. Because aging is a biological process I would suggest that you include biology courses in your education. With the sequencing of the human genome and recent progress in the genetics of aging and longevity, I would also recommend some basic knowledge of genetics. Nevertheless, many different techniques and skills can be employed to study aging. There are physicists, physicians, engineers, biologists, geneticists, computer scientists, mathematicians, and many other different professionals studying aging right now. Therefore, my advice is for you to learn different skills, understand the science of aging, and focus on the area you find more exciting or more adequate to your personal situation.
Where you wind up in life and the degree to which you enjoy success in your goals is all about the connections you make along the way. If you want to make progress in a particular field, you have to establish relationships within that field. For example, the SENS Foundation runs an academic initiative program - whose chief value to the students involved is the opportunity to make connections within the community of researchers interested in repairing the biochemical damage of aging.
Any ideas where a physicist-turned-bioinformaticist could fit in here? When I asked Aubrey for suggestions on where I could be helpful in anti-aging research, he didn't really have any. My impression has been that useful work in this area is mainly being done by laboratory biologists only, without much assist from genomic or computational results.
My experience has been that the software side of biotech is hard to break into: either you started there, of if you're coming in from the outside, you're most likely a support developer who works on websites et al.
That there isn't enough open source going on in the tools of the industry is one possible reason why this is so - the whole thing looks like a snapshot of 20 years ago in other areas of business software.
But I think you're right: the most important stuff taking place at the moment that's directly SENS-relevant isn't very computational at all. There's an argument for running more analysis of protein interactions for things like bioremediation and clearing out aggregates, but given a dollar to choose where to spend, computation isn't where it goes to best effect right now.
Does anybody know how to find a company/university, which can hire you to work in this field?
Having a hard time finding it.
Hello. I am an advanced student (25) currently on my way to get a Physics mastet degree. I want to go for a biomedical/biochemistry master degree to help out in this field, and there is a university which accepts Physics graduate for that degree.
I have some doubts. What should I study from now to get prepared? Cell biology, organic chemistry? I can choose two optional courses to put in my curriculum before I finish the Physics degree, and I would like to choose relevant courses.
Thanks for any advice. :-)
What top biogerontology schools are out there?
I am about to complete a HE Access Diploma in the sciences, with my focus being in biology. I've been offered a place at Newcastle, which is great because the have a raging research centre. I know the grade I get for my end of year project is more important than what the project is about, but for my own personal interest I would like a project that has some relevance to Biogerontology. Does anyone have any suggestion for a 6-10 day project that is focused, but could yield enough results to present some decent statistical analysis from?
I have a week until I have to submit my equipment list, so suggestions will be gratefully received.
Many thanks.
David Brown
Hi im 16 years old currently in 2018, i wish to become a Biogerontologist. I want to fight aging. Which universities, and courses do you recommend me. I wish to know the way to become a Biogerontologist. In still really young, in highschool but i want to define my carecer early on, so i dont aste any time.
This comment is in response to Wesley Prewitt about what steps can be taken to go into biogerontology. As it was conveyed in the article on this page, biogerontology is a topic relevant to a lot of different disciplines so you can approach it from any angle (computer science, biology, biochemistry, physics, etc). I'd suggest taking some biology classes like Principles of Biology and subsequently Cell Biology or Genetics for starters. This will let you first see if a biology background would pique your interests in senescence. I just turned 17 and I've been taking college courses for a couple years (just a couple classes at a time while in high school) before graduating high school early and going full time at college this fall. I'm going into mathematical and computer assisted gene sequencing but it took taking some computer science and required STEM courses to see which academic angle I'd like to get involved with in order to pursue a career in the science of aging. I'd really suggest you study some computer science as well though because CompSci is a topic that you're not required to study in college (therefore you might not be exposed to it unless you had the opportunity and drive to explore it in highschool or other times in youth) that is pretty applicable to biogerontology. Side skills in computer science look amazing to employers in any field including virtually any scientific field.
Thanks so much for the advice Taylor. Its been 2 years, and im currently mayoring in biomedical sciences/ Biology. Im planning on either doing a PHD in Biogerontology at USC Davis University in California after I finish my mayor, or go for an MD and then focus on Biogerontology. I have both options to choose from, but ive not decided which to pick since I dont know which is the best option. As my purpose, I wish to become a biogerontologist to end degenerative process of aging. I would like to fight aging directly, but id perfer to either be part of, or create an influential company that brings many great minds together to fight aging directly and maby find a way to slow, stop, or reverse this degenerative process. Any advice is greatly apreciated.
Hello - I am an American medical student graduating with my MD within the next year. I am currently applying to residencies in internal medicine, but I am most interested in research career paths in gerontology and healthy life extension. I have unfortunately found that there is still significant taboo around life extension in the medical community, and being too gung-ho about fighting aging cost me some social capital early in my medical career. I have found it is better to phrase my goals as extending healthy lifespan and treating age-related diseases.
With that in mind, does anyone have any suggestions on medical institutions which are most accepting and forward thinking regarding life extension? Or have gerontology-specific clinical research? I would like to cultivate relationships to eventually be able to contribute to "fighting aging" when I complete my training but it's tough to find a place to start when that discussion isn't palatable to many of my colleagues or mentors.
Hi Liz, I'm applying to the Biology of Aging PhD program at USC. A hospital or clinic associated with USC would be where "fighting aging" is least stigmatized since that's the only institution that seems to be openly working against it. I'm guessing you've already graduated and got your residency. I hope you're able to contribute to the cause!
Interesting to see, that those problems of being taken seriously when talking about "working on life extension" did not only occur in my environment.
What would you guys recommend a younger person to study? I just did my Abitur (German equivalent of a high school diploma after 13 years of school) and am looking for ideas which subject to pick for my bachelors degree.
I thought about molecular biotechnology, molecular biology, molecular medicine, molecular genetics, synthetic biology, life science, biochemistry, medical science, cell biology, human biology, bioinformatics etc.
Are there subjects you could recommend over the others or do you think that only the research that is done during the PhD or maybe during the master's degree really matters?