Dr. Prachee Avasthi is the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Arcadia Science (California, USA), a biotech company using evolutionarily-informed approaches to develop therapeutics. She is also the Head of Open Science at the Astera Institute, where she develops solutions for scientific publishing to increase the utility and impact of science for societal progress. Previously, Prachee was an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, and an Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her lab explored cytoskeletal dynamics and organelle biogenesis using the green alga Chlamydomonas as a model system.
An avid advocate for Open Science and passionate about finding new journeys, we were grateful to Prachee for taking the time to speak with us. Here, she provides valuable insights into her journey from graduate school to co-founding companies, sharing her thoughts on how future researchers can continue to excel in their respective research fields while providing meaningful and responsible contributions to society.
“You already know how to do this!” – Prachee Avasthi
Q1: How did you know you wanted to pursue a career in research?
During undergrad, I worked in eight or nine different labs, including one where I stayed for over three years. I tried everything from ecology and evolution to entomology and neuroscience, and I loved every experience. What I realized was that it wasn’t just about a specific lab, PI, or field—I genuinely loved science itself. Being thrown into cutting-edge research, working alongside graduate students and postdocs, and contributing to new discoveries far beyond what I learned in class was incredibly exciting. That consistent excitement is what convinced me to go to grad school.
Q2: That’s amazing — was there any like a key point all over your postdoc or grad school or anything that caught your moment and made you say “oh this is the moment I want to go further”?
There were probably two moments. As an undergrad majoring in molecular and integrative physiology, I ended up working in a neuroscience lab—back then, there wasn’t an undergraduate neuroscience major so my real deep dive into the field came from the lab, not coursework. I remember thinking this is exciting and an interesting topic. I loved the science, and neurons struck me as some of the most fascinating cells. That experience pushed me to apply mostly to neuroscience graduate programs, even though only a handful existed in the country at the time.
The second was during my late graduate career where I worked in an ophthalmology lab studying the cell biology of photoreceptors. I was amazed by how much was already known about phototransduction, but also by how transformative discoveries were coming from simple model systems like green algae. I realized that to really push forward, I needed to do a postdoc in a system where I could leverage that power to gain deeper mechanistic insights. That conviction shaped the direction of my career.
Q3: Amazing — so I know you were in academia for some time and then you shifted to industry and you're a co-founder of Arcadia Science. Was there a moment you decided to shift to industry, or how did it work for you? Did you know from the start?
My last summer as a graduate student, I did a summer internship at Genentech. It wasn’t because I was exploring industry. I really did it because it sounded like fun, but it ended up reshaping how I thought about efficiency, resources, and the value of time in science. That perspective influenced how I later ran my own academic lab. Even then, I fully expected to stay in academia long term, and I genuinely loved it. But the pandemic, though, made me reexamine my path and opened me to change. I find that the greatest growth comes from completely changing your circumstances.
I’ve always believed growth comes from stepping into new environments—undergrad to grad school, grad school to postdoc, academia to industry—each time I felt like I became “20% smarter.” I never left academia out of frustration; I thrived there by following my own vision, doing impactful work, and embracing the freedom to pursue science in my own way. I also felt a deep responsibility to open science and to give back, since public funding supports research.
Ultimately, life steered me toward industry, even unexpectedly connecting me with a co-founder I hadn’t known before. It feels a little wild, but change has always fueled my growth, and I see it as another chance to learn, contribute, and create impact.
Q5: For postdocs who have never experienced industry and are doing their postdoc as a full job, what do you recommend? How can they interact with industry in the meantime?
I used to feel siloed in academia, surrounded mostly by people who thought like me. What I’ve learned is that breaking into industry is really about using the same skills we already have—reaching out, networking, and building connections—but pointing them in a different direction. Industry is actually very open and generous about people wanting to learn or get involved, since everyone’s been in that position before.
For me, even something as simple as curating my social media feed differently—following industry people instead of just academics—completely reshaped my perspective and network. It’s the same strategy, just with a new set of people.
The key is to get over the fear of reaching out, accept that not everyone will respond, and understand that “industry” isn’t a single monolith. Every company has its own culture, structure, and way of doing science. It’s not academia versus industry—it’s really an infinite set of options, and the challenge is finding the one that fits you.
Q6: Do you recommend any book or podcast, or even a movie for postdocs or someone who wants to follow your career?
I don’t believe that there’s a single roadmap to follow, and I don’t look for one. Instead, I try to ask myself: What am I good at? What do I want to get better at? What impact do I want to make in the world, and what am I uniquely positioned to contribute? Inspiration, for me, often comes from other people’s stories—through blogs, social media, and now things like Substack—but I see those as inputs, not blueprints. I filter what resonates and then decide what I’ll do with it. For me, inspiration is about expanding that surface area and staying open to collisions with new ideas. It’s not just academia versus industry, there are infinite options, and you can figure out what fits you best by exploring, interacting with people, and learning from different contexts.
Q7: Since we make summaries from postdocs for the public audience — and I know you’ve always advocated for open access — what’s your point of view?
I believe open science is better science—more rigorous, faster, and ultimately a responsibility we owe to society. Doing science is a privilege, and the real goal should be advancing knowledge for everyone, not chasing career advantages or journal gatekeeping. That means making data, code, and protocols openly available so others can build on the work; otherwise, it’s not truly science.
Now, even outside academia, I carry that principle forward in my company by releasing everything at publication with the goal of maximizing impact and utility. For me, open science is the north star—it keeps the focus on why we got into science in the first place: because we love discovery and want it to matter.
I think it's an incredible privilege to do science for a living period. The reason we all got into science was not for checking some box. The reason we got into science is because we love it and that’s what we need to remember. You already know how to do this.