College of Arts and Sciences

Mr. Spinks currently serves as R&D Facilities Services Leader for Indianapolis, specifically in charge of all R&D Services, Environmental Services, and Instrumentation onsite for Dow AgroSciences. He has worked at Dow since 2008 when he completed an internship there while pursuing an MS degree at IUPUI, joining the company full time in 2009. Since then he has worked as a molecular biologist on teams working to develop insect and herbicide resistant corn plants and cotton varieties. Along the way, Mr. Spinks was a project manager in the Marker Assisted Breeding Lab where his team recently won a US patent.

According to Mr. Spinks,the “Biology program really prepared me to function in the ‘real world’ from a number of different aspects, mainly with the breadth of topics that were covered in my four years on campus. Working in the lab performing various experiments and learning the basics of lab technique were extremely helpful at the beginning of my career—this served as a springboard for my learning in an industry-setting, where I applied my college-level skills to learn even more advanced techniques and skills. Another aspect of my experience at ISU that is of ultra-importance, in my opinion, is teamwork; no matter if it is in academia or the industry, excellent teamwork skills are going to be needed in order to be successful. In addition to teamwork, the ability to work in a diverse team is of great importance—seeing as though we are so diverse (cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, etc.), the ability to work with any individual is paramount and not only improves your employability, but your character as well. I would also highlight Data Management and Project Management/Organization as vital skills as well.

“One of the most important pieces of advice that I can give to undergrads is to have a plan for what you want to do with your career as early as you can, so that you can really take advantage of what Indiana State University has to offer. There are far too many times that I ask people (not just at ISU) what they plan to do after school and they are not sure—this is a mistake on a lot of different levels as that means you have not been able to focus your precious resources (time, money, experience) trying to attain your goal. In a world and job market that is hyper competitive and increasingly more difficult, undergrads need every edge that they can obtain in order to “get your foot in the door”—if you have a focus on where you want to be and you have been spending the past 4 years investing your resources towards that specific goal, you are far more likely to be successful. In addition and coinciding with what I mentioned above, GET INVOLVED! Try to work in the labs and gain as much hands-on experience as you possibly can so that you can demonstrate to wherever/whoever that you are well-equipped to do the work that they require. If you are interested in working in the industry, look out for internships or summer-type jobs where you can demonstrate what you are capable of and also gain experience with equipment that is usually only going to be found in larger companies (automation, robotics, etc.)—these opportunities are usually seen as months-long “interviews” where the employer can obtain a first-hand account of how your work habits are going to be. Stay positive, be involved, maintain focus, and work hard and good things will always come your way. “