Our Mission

Who am I?

I’m a third generation chemist, following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather.  Some of my earliest memories include weekend trips into the lab with my dad.  Although they were by no means every week, as I grew older the trips were frequent enough to instill in me a genuine respect for research and it’s role in society.

As an undergraduate, I joined an organic chemistry lab and quickly found out that the NMR was not, in fact, a huge cotton-candy machine, as I had imagined when I was a kid.

After the disappointment passed, fear set in…  I will always be grateful to Dr. Chad Peterson, a postdoc in the lab who volunteered to calm me down and teach me how to perform research.  Not the stuff they teach you in lab class- the real stuff.  Over two years, Chad taught me every tip and trick he knew, which saved me years of fumbling around hoping to discover them on my own.  It also gave me the confidence and enthusiasm to continue on in research.

Nearly fifteen years later, BenchFly was born out of a passion to help other scientists and improve the career we love.

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The BenchFly Mission

To support and celebrate researcher’s lives at the bench in order to make research a better career for current and future generations of scientists.

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Why?

Research is hard.  Very hard.  It’s a profession ripe with uncertainty, stress and failure.  It demands everything you’ve got and is always willing to take more.  It doesn’t work 9-5 or take holidays off.  It’s always there.

Throughout my research career, I have watched many of the most talented colleagues I’ve worked with leave science.  What starts out as a burning passion, fizzles over time to become less about changing the world, and more about changing their job.

At BenchFly, we want to keep scientists in science.

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How?

We have three goals:

• Expand scientific learning

The internet has changed the way we share information.  The way we share scientific protocols should be no different.  On-demand video protocols taught by fellow scientists- just like we learn in lab…but online.

• Provide a personal development guide

Knowing information like how to get the most out of your project, when to apply for a job and what to expect when you get one can be the difference between success and failure.

• Reinvent the image of the scientist

Ask someone what comes to mind when they think of a scientist.  Odds are, it doesn’t describe you at all.  Old stereotypes die hard…

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So what can you do?

Grab a camera and share a tip.  Derive an equation.  Explain pH.  Draw a mechanism.  Think of all the questions you had when you were just starting out…now answer them!

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