by Kathleen Castner
This is the first article in the series BTHS Interviews, an effort to connect to BTHS alumni, inform students on colleges, and give profiles on jobs.
Pictured: Devinn Lambert [1].
Devinn Lambert: Good morning. Thanks so much for taking the time to connect with me. It's really a pleasure. And I owe so much to Biotechnology High School and the teachers that it's, it's really an honor to be able to give back in this very, very small way. My name is Devinn Lambert. I am a graduate of the class of 2009. I was part of the first class at Biotech High School. When I was at Biotech, because we were the first year, we started a lot of really great initiatives, it was actually one of the things that drove me to the school was that we could be part of creating the culture of biotech. I always like science, but I never knew how much I would really love biotechnology as well. So, a lot of the things maybe that you guys still do, I graduated now 11 years ago, 12 years ago. Now, if we go by, and specifically 2021. So maybe some things you guys have dropped since then, and the school has evolved.
But after Biotech, Biotech High School, I went to Rutgers University and pursued a Bachelor's in Biotechnology, and a minor in Biochemistry. I made those connections while at Biotech High School, there's a great connection between, probably as you all know, now, between Biotech High School and Rutgers University. After four years, I went to Cambridge University in the UK, on something called a Gates Cambridge scholarship, which was really an honor and a pivotal moment in my life. So I lived there for a year, made really great friends, came back, I started a Ph. D. program at the School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. You guys probably remember learning the DNA and RNA experiments to figure out the genetic material, most of that work was done at Cold Spring Harbor. And so it was a very, you know, it's a, it still is a very highly rated research institution, near and dear to my heart, especially because of the role it has played in history.
But I made the decision, largely after reflecting on my experience in Cambridge, which was great, but it was just a year to think that my career track wasn't going to be in becoming a research scientist. And instead, I won a fellowship called the Presidential Management fellowship, to begin working at the US Department of Energy, and getting training as a biofuels technology manager, which has always been, you can go back to my stuff in high school, I've always been really into clean energy and using Biotech to get there. And so it was just really a dream job. So I decided to take that jump, not knowing whether it would pay off or not. It's been really fantastic. Since then, I've worked a little bit at the Senate, but mostly at the Department of Energy, doing a clean energy technology development.
Kathleen Castner: Right, thank you. So, let's talk about Biotech a little bit more. You were the first class that graduated from Biotech. So where did you grow up? How did you know that you wanted to go to Biotech? What drove you to the school?
Devinn Lambert: Yeah, I went, so I grew up in Howell, New Jersey, so really close.
I was always very interested in science. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a marine biologist. And so actually, when I was in eighth grade, I was really looking into MAST and going there. And it was, I think, two factors, that pushed me to go to Biotech instead. One was the fact that we were going to be the first class. If I didn't get into a vocational school, I was also applying to an ROTC program so that leadership and doing something in the community was always kind of important to me. That creating [of new initiatives] was something that really swayed me to Biotech. And then, ironically, my mom, I think, probably put this in my head. I always played a lot of sports. And not to knock MAST but compared to where my home high school is, which is Howell High School, that's very close to Biotech High School, and it wasn't close to MAST. So I would have had a harder time playing sports. So I was a four-year varsity athlete, track and soccer. So that was the other reason that tilted my scales. I didn't know how much I would love Biotech. But really, that the molecular science work is even now in the research that I support is the most fascinating thing to me. So that was just serendipity that the program was such a nice fit for my intellectual interests.
Kathleen Castner: Right. Well, it sounds like you really had a good time at Biotech. Do you have any funny stories or anything you want to share?
Devinn Lambert: Oh, yeah, I mean, we had so much fun. Because we were all figuring out together and the teachers as well. Let's see, what are some funny stories that are appropriate to share in writing? Let's see the first high school prank. We did this like, you know, for seniors, you have senior skip day, or I don't know what Biotech does. What we did was we had a luau party, one of the last days of the high school year, so everybody showed up at normal start time. And they had like the flower leis, they brought their beach chairs. And so that's how we started out that day. And so like, I think we boycotted classes a bit for the morning, and the teachers were kind of enjoying, you know, too, because, you know, it was a, it was a different time, because it was the first graduating class, you know, finishing everything up, it was at that point where we bit passed the, you know, we've been through the IB exams, so the year is winding down. So that was one of our pranks. You know, besides that, just some good fun mischief.
I always pushed the rules a little bit with the principal at the time, Dr. Eno, I consider her a great mentor now, but when we started out, I had some very strong feelings about being able to wear flip flops in school and Dr. Eno would not bend on that no matter how much I tried. I was never a very good lawyer. No. So just good-natured mischief. But, she really helped take my creative energy. She sat me down one day and said, Alright, Devin, we can do this every day of the year. Or we could do something more productive with our time, what would you like to do? So she's a great mentor.
Kathleen Castner: That sounds like a lot of fun. So then you went to Rutgers from there. Can you tell me a little bit about what your college decision process was? How did you end up at Rutgers?
Devinn Lambert: Yeah, Rutgers or my college selection process went different. If you look at my resume now, you know, you might think, I don't know I don't want to assume what you would think. But I didn't have a lot of choices about what college to go to. I applied to a lot of places. But, I only got into maybe two or three. And Rutgers turned out to be the best program for me. And so not that I had bad grades, starting sophomore year, I started to take my schoolwork more seriously and picked up my GPA from there. But for me, I applied to a lot of top places, a few Ivy's, Colgate, a few places like that. And when it all came together Rutgers accepted me. I got a fairly good scholarship there, not a full ride. When I learned more about the program, one the Biotech connection was great. But two, they have a women's college there. It's called Douglas. And so I was able to be in a women in science dormitory and at Biotech High School, I was involved in some pseudo-women's leadership stuff, something called “Girls Night Out.” I don't know if you guys still do that. No. But, it was something that I started when I was there. So that's what really connected me there. But, it was a really humbling experience. And something that really made me more focused on my schoolwork moving forward.
When going into starting college, and, you know, I know that Biotech High School now is this really, it's always been academically rigorous, but the caliber of students like yourself, there now are just rock stars, right? And I think I imagined it as even if you guys aren't competitive with each other, you're competitive with yourself. So I would just say that, you know, there's you all probably put a lot of pressure on yourselves on what college you're going to get to. And really your college experience is what you make of it. So for me, I was able to get into some advanced classes early, took my academics really seriously, and then also kept engaged in the leadership things. And that set me up for some success later on. So that was my college process, I got denied pretty much everywhere. Rutgers took me in, and then they really, I think, also shaped me to be who I am today. So I'm really indebted to these public institutions, Biotech, and Rutgers, and things like that.
Kathleen Castner: There was some you had some really good advice in that. What other types of clubs and activities were you involved with? During college?
Devinn Lambert: Yeah, during college, I was a Resident Assistant. So I worked in the dormitories and I worked in my Women in Science dormitory. So what a Resident Assistant does is just support the building that they work for both enforcing rules, but also creating activities. So we bring in scientific speakers because we were in a science dormitory, we would have craft nights, things like that. At Rutgers, as well, I was part of something called “Designer Genes” with, you know, the genes being the DNA genes. And so that was a career development club if you will. So, hosting biotech speakers, doing tours, and things like that.
What else did I do at Rutgers? Those were my two big things. And they kept me pretty occupied. I played recreational soccer. Co-ed just a few times every week. Yeah, I didn't do any sororities. I did research. So I worked in a lab starting the summer of my freshman year, and I researched every year. During the summers after that, one year, I went to Singapore and did research there for a summer which was a lot of fun. That was the summer of my sophomore into junior year. That was great. My boyfriend at the time, who I met at Communications High School now my husband, managed to also get an ethics research internship in humanities. I tried for like months to get my research, like a scientific research internship, and he pulled his out in like two weeks. And a few other friends came along as well, we were able to get some paid research opportunities. So that's what I did. And then I tutored, again, organic chem. So enough to keep me busy. But a big focus was on schoolwork. And then yeah, I guess. Yeah, those leadership things.
Kathleen Castner: That all sounds good. So from there, you went to the University of Cambridge. So tell us a little bit about what it was like living there and the type of classes that you took?
Devinn Lambert: Yeah, it was amazing. It is very much like the castle in Harry Potter, except the entire city is that. Really, it's modeled off of that. There are 31 different colleges that all comprise the University, some of them are just about 900 years old. And so when you're living in those buildings, like a cool thing, right, you're living in a castle, but also, if you're living in those buildings, you have drafts, because these building standards were different than so you know, just a super charming place. I worked in the plant sciences department. I actually didn't take classes, I was a full time researcher, I did a Master's by research which is what it's called. I was able to attend lectures and things like that. UK Cambridge educational system is different from the US wherein we have a lot of coursework, like you know, read chapter four. Think about these, answer these questions, turn your assignments in. They do a lot of their coursework by reading primary literature and discussion groups. So it's surprising to say but they are like, culturally, they're very more hands-off than the US system. And I wouldn't have known that I would never say that our system is particularly hands-on like Biotech, right? It's not like the teachers are coddling you or anything like that, but the way they approach education is very different and culturally as well. It's just very subtle, but it is a big difference.
So, I was there for a year, researching a genetic switch in algae to make it a better biofuel producer. And so I worked on that for a year. And that was a critical time point. Because one, I was able to think about what I wanted to do. So when I went to Cambridge, I did full time research. I said I'm going to become a very serious, prominent scientist, I have no more time for all the side leadership things that I've done, it’s just going to be science full time. I was successful at it. You know, I was making progress. But, I don't know. It put a doubt in my head of is this my best skill set? Is this what I want to do?
And so when I started my Ph.D. program, the next year at Cold Spring Harbor back in Long Island, New York, I kind of had that in my head, just that little bug. And so I applied for that Fellowship Program thinking, okay, if I get it, and if something really, really good presents itself, maybe I would leave, maybe. So it was kind of a risk-based assessment. Like, if something really good came from this, I can do this. I'll jump ship. But if not, I'm in a great program. I'm liking the people I'm working with. I'm liking the work I'm doing. So then I would stick with it. And then, you know, a job in algae biofuel research presented itself in the federal government, which is what I did in Cambridge, which if I looked at my IB, that report where you do research. I did that on climate change, and how that affects ecosystem development, starting at the algae level. So like, I've always been interested in that. So I was like, okay, well, that's a good enough scenario, that I think I'll give it a try. So that's what happened after Cambridge, and how Cambridge kind of influenced who I was.
Kathleen Castner: That's cool how you were able to take your interest from high school and then apply it throughout college. And now even in your job.
Devinn Lambert: Oh, yeah. It seems like that in hindsight, right. But there was no plan. Just keep pursuing. I don't like the advice people give about pursuing your heart's passion. Because I think it's, it's got to be more than that, right? You know, at the end of the day, you need to put food on the table, or you need to pay your bills, right. But it's, you know, pursue your passion and be conscious of the choices that you're making, and how it's setting you up for your future. But if you're doing those, like awareness of what you're interested in, how those choices influence your ability to make ends meet, and then even better, do live the lifestyle you want. Then, you know, in hindsight, your narrative will make sense, even if there was no direct
path.
Kathleen Castner: That's great advice. So right now, if I'm not mistaken, you're the technology manager at the US Department of Energy.
Devinn Lambert: I'm one of them. So I don't want to say I'm the technology manager, but I'm one of them. So what I do is Congress gives the Executive Branch money to achieve strategic objectives. And so Congress says that we need to have biofuels, and they want to see biofuels from algae. So they give us $40 million a year. I'm on a team responsible for figuring out how we spend that 40 million. So I will work with the team and write the funding opportunities that scientists will apply for so professors at universities or companies and then I do a lot of strategic stakeholder engagement, whether that's running workshops, to get expert opinions so that they could tell us these are the needs these are the challenges holding back algae biofuels, or communicate up the chain, whether that be at the Department of Energy saying, you know, to the Secretary of Energy as an example. If we solve this problem, then all of these things are enabled. Or we are investing this money in algae products to make skis, for example, from plastic, algae plastics, because they are a stepping stone to making very cheap biofuel, so things like that.
Kathleen Castner: Interesting. You also work with military and commercial aircraft.
Devinn Lambert: So the federal government is one of our sister agencies, the Department of Defense. And so I don't have the stat perfectly figured out in my head. But, if you consider the US government to be a company, I'm pretty sure we're the largest company in the world. And so when you think about the military makes up over half of our federal spending*. So, the military is a huge driving force of what we call procurement. And so if the President says, I would like to see a certain percentage of biofuels in the military fleet, or I would like to see the military test and pilot biofuels and send a super strong market, it's what we would call a poll policy. And so what it means is that biofuel companies all of a sudden have this guaranteed buyer of fuels. And so it really does a lot to stand up technology, because it creates insurance getting through that valley of death point of how do you scale up? And how do you keep a buyer? So, what I do is work with partner agencies to identify these synergies.
*Correction: Federal discretionary spending. That is spending that must be annually approved by the appropriations process and consists of ⅓ of the federal budget. Mandatory spending makes up ⅔ of the federal budget, and that includes programs like Medicare. Funding for that is guaranteed [2].
And so the aviation space is one that is not going to electrify very easily, you're not going to really have a solar airplane, or an electric airplane in the near future, like 2050, maybe even beyond. Just for a number of reasons. So, we know that aviation sustainable aviation fuels are something that we need to get addressed. And, you know, in more planes now, and across the country, there are examples of flights, like I think every flight out of L.A. has a percentage of biofuels in it. I think Seattle is that way, and I know Atlanta is working towards that. It's a really fascinating space, where you have the aviation industry saying, “we need these things.” It's not like the government's pushing on or the public's pushing on it. The aviation space is saying, “we need these things.” Because the aviation space works in international markets, they can't fly out of Europe to the US or back into Europe, without biofuels because Europe says you need them. And so it doesn't matter what the US is doing. It's this very fascinating, global ecosystem driving the companies to demand biofuels.
Kathleen Castner: Wow, that sounds really interesting. Right now, is everything virtual and what does your day-to-day look like?
Devinn Lambert: I have not been in the office since March.
Kathleen Castner: And that's in DC, correct?
Devinn Lambert: Yep. Right now, I'm on maternity leave. So, I'm not in the office virtually at all. But every day is different. It's normally a mix of calls with scientists to talk about the status of their research projects. Thinking about how we are going to use next year's budget. So, a little bit of strategic planning, I normally have some type of every given day stakeholder outreach work to do, either to an agency or a company. And so every week is different. And then I already shared that I communicate up and down the chain of management at the Department of Energy. So normally, I'll have some type of responsibility there. So, some days it's more strategic communication, some days, it's more technology management. It's very mixed, but I like it.
I don't know if I could work on one task for long periods.
Kathleen Castner: Do you ever come into communication with cabinet members or high-ranking government officials or anything like that?
Devinn Lambert: Not on my regular day-to-day, I'm still a little green in that regard. So I hope as you know, time moves on I'll keep moving up the chain. I will give information to my leadership. My leadership gives information to their leadership. And that would go to the Secretary. So, we got a few levels between me and the top. And that's good, though. I don’t want to be too high just yet.
Kathleen Castner: In December 2020, you received a big recognition. You were named Forbes 30 under 30, which is very prestigious. What did that change for you? What was that like? Can you just tell us a little bit about that?
Devinn Lambert: It was a huge honor. Really a very big surprise. A friend who is another Forbes 30 under 30 who was a Gates Cambridge scholar, recommended that I go for it. And I said, let’s try. It's unusual because I'm a federal employee. But, there's been precedent in the past. I've applied for a lot of these what are called distinguished fellowships. And I recommend everybody to give it a shot if you meet the standard criteria. But I've applied, I've won Goldwater, I've won Gates Cambridge, I've won Forbes, I've won this NSF thing, which all sounds great. But then there's also the failure resume, right? I didn't win Rhodes, I didn't win Marshall. I didn't win Schwarzman, and so on. When I lost Schwarzman, I matured a little bit because I was already out of college at that point. Before that, I had an addiction for greater recognition, which was just a college thing, right? You are the same person before you apply for one of these awards, and when you win one of these awards, you're the same person. That award doesn't change who you are. And so I kind of say because with the Gates Cambridge, I applied and it gave me great opportunities, and it changed who I was later on. But, just because you win something or just because you don't win something, it doesn't change the value of who you are as a person, you still have a lot of value.
I say that to say with Forbes, I think it did not change who I am. And I say that to give advice to others. These awards don't change your value when you lose and don't let not winning one of these awards make you think you're any less than who you are. Because there's always that failure resume, I have a long list of failures that you don't see on my LinkedIn. But, what I think Forbes has done for me, is open up my perspective on what other energy innovators are doing, and what my peers are doing. I think that's kind of the biggest change. Now eventually, there'll be this big soirée. This big, glamorous networking party, which I would love to go to, it'll probably be in the fall, which works out well, because I just had a baby. So, I was not ready to be networking, drinking, and schmoozing anytime soon anyway, so I'm glad it's actually delayed to the fall. So, that'll be fun. And maybe I'll get some nice pictures. And of course, I'm going to put them on my profile, but I'm still the same person overall.
Kathleen Castner: That's really great. So now, just tell us a little bit about your family, what's going on? I know you said you just had a baby.
Devinn Lambert: Yeah. I have two daughters. One of them is 18 months old. Her name is Raiden. The other one is just about three weeks old; she's very little. We live in Washington D.C. with my husband, Elias Boujaoude, we met at the district dance, which was at Communications High School. We've been dating, or we've been together since, I should know this because he'll probably yell at me for not knowing, I think 2011, no we met in 2010. And we started dating in 2010. Okay, so 11 years now. COVID life is COVID life. I don't have many great stories to tell because we've just been indoors. Ask me again in a year and I'll have more exciting things to say. I hope to travel again, we used to travel a lot, both around the country and internationally. I joke around, my 30th birthday is this April, so I just squeezed in for the Forbes 30 Under 30. This was the last year I could apply. And I joke around that one of my goals was to go to all seven continents before I turned 30. And I've been to all of them except for Antarctica. And so I'm blaming COVID for stopping me from doing that. But to be honest, going to Antarctica is like $5,000 to $10,000 ahead. So, that's really what's held me back.
Kathleen Castner: That would be really cool to go there though.
Devinn Lambert: Yep, I'm still kind of hoping to do it. But, I have to find 20K. Forbes doesn't come with a cash prize.
Kathleen Castner: Do you have any last notes or pieces of advice you want to share?
Devinn Lambert: I think I've tried to sprinkle in a few. I think I gave my two big nuggets, which is whether you win an award or not, the value you have as a person is the same. So, don't change because of that recognition. Keep humble. Every person has successes and failures. And then the “follow your passion” advice, making sure to keep a good head on your shoulders. Be aware of the choices you're making and how that's setting you up, both to live your passion and meet the human needs you have.
Kathleen Castner: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. You're such a spotlight in the biotech alumni community. I'm sure that everyone else is going to be inspired hearing your story. So thank you for your time.
Devinn Lambert: Yeah, thank you. My pleasure. And whenever anybody from Biotech wants some help, if I'm available, I'm glad too because Biotech really . . . I guess I could add one more thing. You guys are really uniquely privileged to be at the school that you're at. It might not seem like that at the time. I know the school is different than when I applied. You guys are way smarter than me, I don't want to say that about everybody in my class because we had some very brilliant people in our class. But, you know, it's really a big privilege. But, also be kind to yourselves. My impression of the school now is you guys are really, really driven. And maybe a little too hard on yourselves. So yeah, thank you so much.
Kathleen Castner: Thank you. Have a good day. Goodbye.
Sources
1. Devinn Lambert - Forbes. (2020). Forbes.com.
2. Federal Spending by Category | U.S. Treasury Data Lab. (2020). Usaspending.gov.