Casey grew up in Sioux City, Iowa. He attended college at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and theater. After college he moved to Kansas City and worked for a large veterinary pharmaceutical company making vaccines. “After working in vaccine production for almost 10 years I found myself getting bored with my work and had no prospects of promotion.  I began searching for an alternative employment and found Sanford Research had positions available.  I liked the idea of contributing to scientific knowledge rather than just corporate profits so I took the research job,” said Casey.

We asked Casey a few questions to learn his story:

Can you tell us about your job?

I am the hands-on part of our lab.  I am responsible for the maintenance of the lab and our colony of genetically engineered mice.  I also work to move all our various projects forward to generate data my boss can use to write publications.  Currently we are following up on a single cell RNA sequencing data set we were able to generate using our mouse airway cells, and I am preparing to generate another single cell RNA sequencing data set that will be used for future projects.  Some of my daily tasks include ensuring the breeding colony of mice is maintained, testing to ensure the mice have the mutations we study, and developing protocols for new lab procedures as we test them out.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I love coming to work and learning new things every day.  We have multiple opportunities every week to hear scientists talk about the science they do, letting me learn about a variety of interesting technologies and body functions that I would have never known otherwise.  We constantly have to read papers by other labs that relate to our science and show us techniques we can use in our own lab.

What part of your job do you dislike?

Research is hard and the things you do don’t always work.  I had been working on a project for several years that we recently decided we had to abandon because it was just not working out the way we had hoped.  That’s just how research goes sometimes.

What do you do for fun outside of work?

I am an avid watcher and participant in theatre.  I act onstage with the Green Earth Players in Luverne, MN where I live.  I am also a huge gaming nerd.  I love weird board games, role playing games, and video games.  I love to run role playing games at local conventions and game days and even have a website where you can hire me to run a game for your private event.

What advice would you give to high school students interested in a career in research?

Get a solid education in biology or chemistry.  After that, work in a lab for a bit to figure out where in research you want to land.  There is a world of difference between what I do as the tech in our lab, compared to my boss with a PhD.  I could go get a PhD if I wanted, but then I would have to spend a lot more time writing papers and grant proposals and a lot less time at the lab bench.

What inspires you?

Life is full of joy and every day is a new opportunity to make the most of it.  Life is short so make the most of what you have before it’s gone.

Who is your role model?

My mom is still an inspiration for me.  She had Multiple Sclerosis since before I was born and I watched her slowly lose her ability to drive, walk, and eventually live on her own.  Through it all, she was a ray of sunshine reminding me that the only things I can control are what I do and how I choose to react to the world.  The rest of the world, I can’t control.  So be flexible, and you will never be bent out of shape.

Casey McKenzie’s Education Path

Bachelor’s Degree: Biology and Theater

Work experience: Vaccine manufacturing

For more information on the research being done by the Lee Lab, visit their lab page on the Sanford Research website.