Influential Woman · Bioinformatics

Simone Kats

Data Curator, The National Institutes of Health

Miami, FL

2Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's degree in Biology from Ohio State University Degree Master's degree in Bioinformatics from Johns Hopkins University Degree Graduated summa cum laude Degree 2021

Her Story

About Simone

I've been working in my field since 2021, and I currently work for the NIH and the NCI doing pediatric oncology research. Basically, I handle and deal with the data for clinical trials of pediatric oncology, and I support scientists and PIs along with the research for that. I originally wanted to become a doctor and started going through school for pre-med, but then I was like, maybe being a full doctor isn't for me. I've always loved science and research, and I also grew up coding - I was an only child, so it kind of just felt like the right fit. The reason I always wanted to go into the medical field in general is because I always wanted to help people. I grew up an only child, but I always loved to be around people. I love human interaction, and just the thought of helping people makes me really happy. Even though I don't directly work with patients, I still work on the back end, so I'm very thrilled and it's very fulfilling knowing that I'm still making a difference one way or another. I'm most proud of the fact that by the time I was [AGE], I already had 9 publications, which is pretty cool because I know it's hard to get publications in this field.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Simone

01What do you attribute your success to?

Honestly, to just keep working - keep your head down and keep working. I remember there was one point in time in 2021, before I graduated, and even the summer leading up to that, I was in school, I was working a full-time job that was an hour away, so I was driving an hour to work at 8am, waking up at like 5, driving to work, coming back home, getting home at 7, still studying, getting all my work done at night. And then I also was bartending on the weekends, so at that time I was putting in over 100-hour weeks. I was like, oh my god, why am I doing this to myself? But if you just keep your head down and work through it all, it becomes worth it in the end.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Honestly, networking is also super important. I truly, strongly believe that if you put in the work and you put in the effort, and you have someone that you can show that you can do the work to, you can get ahead. I feel like in the science industry, stature is very important - everybody looks at it. Some people will be like, oh, if you don't have a PhD, you're automatically disqualified for this role, which was one of my biggest struggles, because I was unemployed for a year. I got laid off, and then I couldn't find a job because I was competing against people with PhDs, even though I had great experience and 9 publications. I just kept on reaching out and reaching out. I think it's also important to still make those connections, because when something falls through, or anything, you never know when an opportunity could arise from someone that you met 2-3 years ago.

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