Dr. Doug Frantz cultivated his research talents as a graduate student at Texas A&M followed by a post doctoral fellowship in Zurich, Switzerland. He then transitioned into a highly competitive position at Merck & Co. in 2000 in Rahway, NJ. Dr. Frantz worked with Merck to develop a new site in Wayne, PA where his mission was to help promote the transition of new compounds from the bench to clinical trails with great efficiency.

It was this experience at Merck that instilled in Dr. Frantz the importance of skills such as networking, group and time management as well as how to succeed in a goal oriented environment. It is with these values in mind that Dr. Frantz has built his laboratory and training program for his students and post doctoral fellows. The importance of conducting your science in a goal-oriented fashion is highly translatable to industry and it is clear that Dr. Frantz is guiding a strong research team with this same approach.

During our meeting to discuss the Career Advisory program Dr. Frantz spoke passionately about his time as a trainee and about his transition to Merck. He stated that he could have benefitted greatly from a mentorship program such as the one that our Graduate School is working to build. I asked Dr. Frantz what he believed he would have benefitted most from being exposed to as a trainee? “I was not aware of what it took to lead a team and the intricacies of group dynamics. I feel that being exposed to this process could have given me a leg up, as I transitioned from academia to industry.” It is clear after meeting Dr. Frantz that he has mastered the art of leadership and mentorship. His office door is always open and his first priority is the success of those he mentors. With all this in mind Dr. Frantz is still a firm believer of playing as hard as you work and he does so in his new Corvette Stingray. When asked about his life outside of lab Dr. Frantz stated, “The one thing I am passionate about outside the lab is driving my new 2014 Corvette Stingray. Driving that car in the hill country allows for the perfect stress reliever!!!!”

We are very lucky to have Dr. Frantz as a member of our Career Advisory Council. His devotion to graduate trainees is without measure and his insights, as we develop this program, are priceless.