Life at Nautilus Interview with Vivek Budamagunta, Ph.D., Scientist II

Vivek Budamagunta is a Scientist II at Nautilus Biotechnology who consistently brings an inspiring energy and vigor to his work. Below, Vivek discusses why he’s invigorated by working at Nautilus and shares how he thinks his work will enable him to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

How did you get interested in biology?

For many years, I’ve been fascinated by the aging process and aging research. My fascination began when I was a child and observed differences between the abilities of my parents and grandparents. As I grew, I gravitated toward popular science articles focused on aging. Studies like those showing genetic mutations in C. elegans could greatly increase their lifespan or that certain birds have abnormally long lifespans given their size and metabolic rate amazed me. I yearned to understand the biology underlying aging. Thankfully, I later had the privilege of actually doing aging research in a collaborative project at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and in my graduate work at the University of Florida.

Childhood fascination piqued my interest in aging, but I continued to focus on it as I began my research career because aging impacts everyone. Early in graduate school, I realized it’s critical for me to do research with the potential to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people – a utilitarian mindset. More than perhaps any other area of biological study, I believe solving the problems that come with aging can have the greatest positive impact on the greatest number of people… EVERYONE.

Why did you start working at Nautilus?

To be honest, Nautilus was not on my radar when I was looking for jobs after graduate school. I thought the best place for me to continue pursuing my goals was academia and was on the verge of accepting a postdoc position when a friend who reviewed my CV suggested I submit it to a hiring manager at Nautilus. I was skeptical of working in industry, but did not want to be rude so I said yes.

Everything changed after my interview. First, I saw Nautilus is building a product that may vastly advance all biology research. This is even more good for more people because the platform may accelerate all kinds of discoveries and therefore improve many facets of everyone’s lives – not just aging. Next, Nautilus Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Parag Mallick made it clear that there was both a ton of science I could learn by working on the platform and an incredible opportunity to learn how businesses grow and develop. Parag impressed upon me that, as someone with my own entrepreneurial interests, first-hand experience at a start-up would put me in a great position to start my own company in the future.

Finally, and this is really the cherry on top, they wanted me to work on a project aimed at quantifying tau proteoforms. Tau is a protein intimately associated with the development of Alzheimer’s, and if successful, this project would mark the first time researchers could study its proteoforms with single-molecule resolution. Not only would I be developing a platform that could do the greatest good for the greatest number, but I would be doing it while creating a whole new way to measure a protein deeply involved in age-related diseases. How could I say no to working at this company?

What is your day-to-day like?

I don’t really have a typical day, but probably something like 2 types of days with different focuses:

Type 1 – Data analysis and experimental planning days – These days are largely spent at my desk. I crunch through the analysis of recent data and meticulously design my next experiments to clear up any loose ends or answer new questions that arise. As part of these days, I carefully assess what resources we have, what I need to order, and what I can do without. Then I schedule my lab time to make the most efficient use of what supplies we have and will have soon.

Type 2 – Collaborative discussions, more planning, and wet lab time – These days are a little looser and usually begin with chats throughout the office. I engage with colleagues from diverse teams to assess recent results, discuss current challenges, and brainstorm solutions. Sometimes these discussions result in clear paths forward that would be difficult to discover without cross-functional connections. Other, more intellectually stimulating times, they leave me deep-diving into a problem and reaching out to more team members for further brainstorming. This organic approach to exploration has often been the catalyst for my subsequent, formal research initiatives. Next, I’ll use what I’ve learned to do more experimental and resource planning. Finally, I put much of what I’ve learned into action with wet lab experiments.

What keeps you motivated?

I know I’ve said “the greatest good for the greatest number” a lot during this interview, but that really is my motivation. I often work long hours, but when I begin to feel any sense of burn out, I think about the potential impacts of our platform. It always energizes me. An accessible means of comprehensively measuring the proteome including proteoforms could be a game-changer across so many research fields, aging included.

What are the best parts about working at Nautilus?

If I had to break down the 3 best things about working at Nautilus, they would be:

1. We’re working on a ground-breaking technology.
2. Great people – I learn from my colleagues and managers everyday both inside the lab and out. Critically, this extends all the way up to the executive mangers who entertain my questions about things like business strategy, product development, and the management process. For me they’re not just managers, but deeply valuable mentors.
3. Resource accessibility – Sometimes my academic friends talk about industry in a negative light, but it’s been great to have the resources needed in terms of funding, knowledgeable colleagues, and equipment to keep projects moving at a breakneck pace.

Those are my three distillations, but I have absolutely no regrets in terms of deciding to work at Nautilus and am thrilled to be here.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I’m very excited to get the Nautilus^TM Proteome Analysis Platform out into the world and so that’s kind of all-consuming. Considering the incredible impacts the platform could have, I would love to continue to work my way up here and eventually play a more direct role in shaping the future of the company. On the other hand, once we’re successful, I would also love to be able to take what I’ve learned and start my own venture. I’m not sure what form that would take yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with aging.