Sarah Bacher

My name is Sarah Bacher, I am a Pakistani-American research scientist residing in New York, USA. I spent most of my childhood in a small suburban town in Northern California, but was fortunate enough to spend my core youth years in Karachi where I fell in love with the rich Pakistani culture and built lifelong friendships. I majored in Genetics and Genomics from the University of California, Davis where I immersed myself in everything science and bench top research. Though I still shy away from physics I’ve built an appreciation for most if not all laws of physics. There was no “Aha!” moment where I realized Genetics is my true passion, but it was rather a decision influenced by various factors. I’ve always despised conforming to societal norms and the predetermined lives us Pakistani women have sealed the moment we inherit our X chromosome from our fathers. We are groomed to be the perfect daughter, obedient wife and self-sacrificing mother since the day we are born. I wanted to do something to change that narrative. I grew up in a household where my baba always forced my siblings and I to question everything by asking us, “Why?”. It was not uncommon to have dinner table discussions about why spinach is green or why Pakistani cuisine was unhealthy. It doesn’t come as a surprise that I too grew up asking, ‘why?’. Why are there different skin colors? Why are some people taller than others? Why do some people develop cancer and others don’t?
It was during my third year of undergraduate studies that I worked in a translational genetics research lab at Yale University tracking the activity of a transposable element, a DNA sequence that has the ability to change positions within the genome, and realized I found my calling. The excitement I felt every time I picked up a pipet was unmatched. I would spend countless hours in the lab hunched over at my desk recording data, conducting experiments, and repeating the process over and over again. The harmony in which all my reagents mixed together, the sound of a centrifuge clacking away and reading pages of genetic code became my calling into a lifelong journey in science.
Upon graduating UC Davis, I entered a Biotechnology startup in Silicon Valley, and worked in fermentation research before getting accepted to my dream school, New York University, for their Master in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology. Epidemiology is the study of population health and the determinants and patterns of morbidity and mortality – in other words it was a means to answer my ‘why?’. To work towards my ultimate goal of becoming a scientist of Molecular Pathological Epidemiology I started working at a lab in the Department of Pathology at NYU School of Medicine researching a Cancer/Testis Antigen of metastatic melanoma cells and seeing its effect on a specific cell line. I am currently using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique to make genetic perturbations to silence my gene of interest. Having the ability to translate my textbook knowledge to benchtop research in a methodical manner is the greatest contributing factor to my love for science.
My journey has not been an easy one thus far for multiple reasons, the greatest being my gender. Traditionally STEM majors have been male dominated with a few women who rarely got recognized for their contributions. There were numerous moments where I was told by people close to me that I shouldn’t work this hard because I’m a female and my ultimate destiny is to be a mother and wife. I was told that I’m too pretty to be smart (what does that even mean?). I was told that men are intimidated by women who are too educated and “progressive”. I was told I am too much of a feminist for pursuing graduate school as a married woman. I was told I’m selfish for chasing my dreams. It was not easy to have those judgmental labels thrown on me, but what helped is knowing there will always be people waiting to pull me down so why not be a “rebel” and live the life I envision for myself. Along the way, I met people who believed in my abilities and those are the people I kept close. My undergraduate Biochemistry professor was one of the greatest mentors I had. He guided me to the right resources, encouraged me to explore my possibilities in science and provided the guiding path I needed to enter the world of research. He provoked my curiosity in genetics, and gave me the opportunity to try to understand the ‘why?’
Going into research is something I never imagined for myself growing up, but here I am. A 25-year-old Pakistani-American, living on the opposite coast from my husband relentlessly working towards being the person I never imagined I could be. I still have a long path ahead to be where I wish, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying and appreciating where I am today. I truly believe you can see all the places you wish to if you’re resilient. I urge all women in STEM to unapologetically be yourself, do what feels complete to your soul and create magic!