Cameron Naylor - PostDoctoal Fellow in Nagy Group

Tell us a little about you...

I grew up in east Tennessee and got my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Western Carolina University in 2015. I attended Washington State University for my Ph.D., graduating in 2021 under the guidance of Dr. Brian Clowers. Shortly after graduation, I moved to Germany for my first postdoctoral research position at Leibniz University Hannover. Last year, I joined Dr. Gabe Nagy’s group here at the University of Utah as a postdoctoral researcher.

What interests you most about your research?

I’ve been interested in separation science since undergrad. I knew going into graduate school that I wanted to learn mass spectrometry because it commonly supplements analytical separation techniques. Several years later, I’ve achieved that goal and continued doing ion mobility mass spectrometry, but the instrument we have here in Gabe’s lab is relatively new and capable of much higher resolution measurements than have been possible in the past. It’s really cool being able to separate things that are notoriously difficult such as isomers, and that capability will allow us to learn more about complicated biological systems in future.

Why did you choose the University of Utah?

I came here for Gabe specifically. I was familiar with his work at Pacific Northwest National Lab and had kept up with his papers he’d published here in his independent career. I also knew that I wanted experience as a postdoc for an early career professor so I can gain some insight of what to expect when I start an independent research group, and he is the perfect mentor in that regard.

Your favorite University of Utah experience?

Not specifically University of Utah, I’ve enjoyed the graduate student-led activities in our group, such as the time we organized an outing for the premier of the Barbie movie last summer. We didn’t dress up aside from some people wearing pink shirts, but it was a fun time seeing everyone else in the theater dressed up.

What research topics being explored in the world interest you the most?

The field of ion mobility spectrometry has rapidly grown within the last decade due to its increased commercial availability coupled to mass spectrometers. I’m really excited to see new instrumentation that is being developed and what cool problems people are solving with the higher resolution separations capable on these instruments.

What do you do for fun outside the lab? How do you handle stress?

I maintain several different hobbies and keep a work/life balance by making sure I have time for those hobbies. As for what those hobbies are? The stereotypical answer for someone of my demographic is video games. The less stereotypical ones are fiber crafts: quilting, sewing, and knitting specifically. I average two or three quilts and two sweaters per year. I made a winter coat for myself back in January; that took about a month to complete. I also tend to pick up other random hobbies as the notion strikes me: lately that’s been drawing and learning how to animate.

What advice do you have for prospective postdocs?

If you can, meet your potential advisor first and get a feel for their group at conferences before you agree to a position. Each group is different and mentoring styles vary from person to person. Depending on the more “people” factors like communication and mentoring styles, the adjustment period to settle into your new group might differ significantly depending on the dynamics compared to the group you are coming from.

What is the most significant difference between life as a grad student and a postdoc researcher?

In some ways, being a postdoctoral researcher is less stressful than being a graduate student. The research and day-to-day structure are largely the same as the last few years of the Ph.D., but there isn’t the stress of working on the dissertation and making sure you have enough manuscripts to graduate. It’s also easier in the sense that you have years of experience doing science and you know how to manage your time better. However, as a postdoc you have other responsibilities that you don’t have as a grad student like mentoring students, gaining skills to ensure a successful transition to a faculty position, and then eventually applying to faculty positions.

What do you plan to do after your postdoc?

The plan right now is to become a tenure-track professor at a university: R1, R2, or PUI (primary undergrad institution), depending on what seems like the best fit for me. I like mentoring students and having freedom in my research, and I think I can help students grow into capable scientists at the undergraduate and graduate level. However, I’m also aware of how difficult it is to get a faculty position so I’m keeping an open mind about other opportunities to do cool research in the field of ion mobility spectrometry and/or mass spectrometry.