As David Antolick nears the finish line of his Computational Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CoBB) master’s degree, he reflects on a whirlwind journey—one filled with hours of coding, valuable lessons in machine learning, and a genuine love for the field that started back in high school. 

David grew up in a small town outside Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He was first inspired by a 10th-grade biology teacher who made science both personal and engaging. Around the same time, a friend introduced him to the world of computer science. “He just loved what he did and wanted to teach others—not because he had to, but because he genuinely enjoyed sharing it,” David said. “That combination of biology and computing stuck with me.” 

Building Career Skills

This passion led David to study computational biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before enrolling in the CoBB master’s program at Pitt. Throughout his time in the program, Antolick developed technological and professional skills in his classes and gained hands-on lab experience. 

One standout class was Scalable Machine Learning for Big Data Biology. This course taught him how to apply machine learning methods to biomedically relevant datasets.  

“Machine learning was something that I’ve been interested in for a long time,” Antolick said. “This class has really allowed me to explore the space and try to get an understanding of not just what things are but how they are implemented.” 

Opportunities for Collaboration

He also enjoyed collaborating with other graduate students on projects for classes. This was a very different experience from the individual coursework he had taken as an undergraduate student.  

“I think the team projects have been really beneficial because there’s a slightly different way that you communicate and collaborate as a scientist as opposed to just having two people working on the same thing,” Antolick said. 

Outside the classroom, he works in Associate Professor Robin Lee’s lab. Here, he contributes to research on intron retention in chronic inflammation and cell type simulation. His job duties involve data pipeline and reconstruction of cell sequences.  

As Antolick prepares for life after graduation, he is looking forward to applying his coding and machine learning skills in a meaningful career. “I really do enjoy the work that I do, which I think is really important because I know some people who don’t enjoy their work,” he said. “I just want to write code to my heart’s content and make enough to support my family.” 

What advice would you give to prospective students? 

“Time management is something that you want to consider. You are going to learn a lot, but you may experience some stress along the way, especially if you try to put a lot on your plate at once.”

What was your favorite part about being a grad student in Pittsburgh? 

“I really like being within walking distance from things. I’m a seven-minute walk from my classes, and there are also a lot of museums and big libraries in town to explore on a free day.”

What helped you get through the hard parts of grad school? 

“I go the gym as frequently as I can to manage my stress, and it’s worked out pretty well for me.”