What is a biologist and how to become one

Growing up in the vibrant and culturally rich environment of Nigeria, I initially nurtured a
childhood dream of becoming a surgeon. It wasn't until my formative high school years, however,
that I truly discovered my deeper passion for the biological sciences. Not only were biology,
chemistry, and physics my favorite subjects, but they were also areas where I particularly excelled.
I consistently achieved top marks in biology exams and proudly represented my school in
prestigious competitions. My fascination was particularly piqued by the intricate and symbiotic
relationship between humans, plants, and microorganisms, which spurred a compelling desire
within me to delve deeper into the complexities of life.
This burgeoning curiosity laid a strong foundation for my subsequent academic pursuits in
biological sciences at the university level. My first year was marked by a rigorous immersion into
foundational courses that included biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, physics, and statistics.
These courses were crucial for my biochemistry program and carved out my niche in enzymology.
This was further enhanced by a pivotal summer internship at a chemical pathology laboratory in a
government hospital back in my home country, where I applied and expanded my theoretical
knowledge in a practical, real-world setting.
My undergraduate experience was transformative, exposing me to the fascinating world of
enzymes as functional proteins and the innovative realm of computational protein design. This
exposure was significantly deepened by an inspiring interview with Professor David Baker that I
watched on YouTube, a leading computational scientist at the University of Washington, which
motivated me to pursue a master's degree in computational biology at the University of Science
and Technology of China (USTC China). At USTC, I not only broadened my expertise in
biochemistry and molecular biology but also acquired essential programming skills. My research
during this time, especially my master's thesis was on the computational prediction of protein loop
structures, and it complements existing methods of predicting protein loop structures especially
for functional proteins such as the complementarity determining region of antibodies. I also did
some research on computational drug discovery and structural biology. During this time, I
committed reasonable hours in the laboratory, and it was filled