Intern Highlight: Q&A with Justin Steinman

Justin Steinman ( University of Massachusetts Amherst Class of 2025) was one of our Summer 2024 Software Engineering interns. Learn more about his experience and consider applying for one of our open internship or full-time positions!

Q: What made you want to join Genesis Therapeutics as an intern?

Justin: I learned about Genesis through a previous employer and was drawn in by the opportunity to combine my skills in computer science and computational biology. Just from my interviews, I could tell that I would be working on challenging engineering problems and contributing to cutting-edge research. The engineers that I interviewed with were so welcoming, and I was delighted when they took a genuine interest in my past research and asked such insightful questions. I also loved that my experiences as an intern would further Genesis’s mission of pioneering AI-based drug discovery for diseases with few or no treatment options.?

Q: Can you tell us about a project you worked on this summer and what you did?

Justin: It’s hard to pick just one! I worked on a few projects that touched on many areas including database management, molecular dynamics, front-end development, and machine learning infrastructure. For my main project, I was responsible for streamlining how we import data collected by chemists to benchmark our prediction methods. I had to familiarize myself with various APIs, much of the existing codebase, and even some of the chemical properties the data encapsulated. There was also a creative component to structuring everything optimally, so my code would fit our current needs and be adaptable for the future.

Q: Did anything surprise you or stand out during your time at Genesis?

Justin: I was really surprised to see how often people on different teams would collaborate. A lot of the engineers picked up a working knowledge of computational chemistry during their time at Genesis and frequently work on projects in the area. I always felt like I had so much freedom in what I could work on, which was great as an intern trying to learn what I do and don’t enjoy.

Q: How did working with the team at Genesis shape your experience?

Justin: Everyone was super friendly and always eager to help out or share what they were working on. I never felt like I was on my own, no matter what I was doing, because I could reach out to anyone on the team, not just my mentor. Friday happy hours were always a blast, and I am heading home much better at table tennis and social deduction games than before.

Q: What’s one thing you’re taking away from this internship that you’ll carry forward?

Justin: Aside from the myriad technical skills that I gained, I am leaving with a better understanding of what it means to learn in a professional environment. My internship struck a perfect balance where I could divide my time between projects with concrete deliverables and projects with an emphasis on learning. Going forward, I will remember that my success as an engineer is not only measured in how much production-ready code I write, but also how much knowledge I gain.