Alumni spotlight: Sarah Treit, PhD

Sarah Treit. Photo supplied.

Alumna Sarah Treit graduated with a PhD in neuroscience from the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute in 2015.

She now runs a consulting company, Figures First, that helps researchers with writing and data visualization. She also offers workshops that help graduate students and other researchers improve their visual communication and scientific figures.

Treit was featured on a recent What The Job? (WTJ?) podcast episode where the panel discussed carving out unique career paths in the biological and life sciences with a focus on consulting.

We asked her about her career path and the advice she has for current students.

Where has your career taken you since graduation?

After graduating, I worked as a research associate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering for a few years, expanding on my academic research experience and publishing in the areas of medical imaging and neurology before eventually launching my own consulting company in 2022. With an open mind and an ambitious plan to make connections, I’ve now delivered data visualizations and scientific writing workshops to thousands of trainees across Canada and the United States and have helped more than 50 investigators write grant applications in the health sciences, engineering and more. 

In the podcast, you mention that you discovered that your favourite part of the research process is writing the paper, crafting the story and making the final pitch. How did this realization lead you to a career in consulting?

The realization that I love finding the most effective ways to communicate scientific ideas and results led me to my current career in several ways. First, these skills are largely undervalued in graduate training, despite being the essential currency in research. With data visualization in particular, graduate students typically get no formal training and end up continually reinventing the wheel, often to the frustration of their supervisors. I realized this was a gap I could fill. Another more general realization was that many of the things that I love doing can be obstacles for others. For example, grant writing is a major pain point for many investigators (for many reasons, often relating more to time than ‘skill’), but it’s a process that I find exciting and enjoyable. By bringing a (very) critical eye, an experienced perspective and a lot of enthusiasm to this process, I get to play a unique role in moving science and innovation forward.

What advice would you give to students wanting to make the most of their time at the U of A?

Take advantage of the resources in your program and at the U of A to broaden your experience, but also take time to reflect and learn about yourself. What parts of your program/position do you enjoy most? What environments do you thrive in? What makes you feel fulfilled? Ask for informational interviews with people in varying positions to get an inside perspective on positions you are interested in, and how the people in them got there. 

How do you embrace change and overcome challenges?

I think one of the best ways to embrace change and challenge is to expect it. The ways we learn, work, and communicate are always changing. This is true in every sector, including in medicine, science and research. In science, this change comes at every step, from how we run experiments, to how, where, and when we disseminate our findings. Remember that your value will often come from your ability to innovate and adapt, to learn, and to provide unique insights rather than to execute a specific skill set.