Richard Somiari's belief that technology can advance biology has taken him from studying food technology in Nigeria to founding a proteomics company in the United States. “Technology has caught up to biology,” he says. “I try to adapt technology to answer scientific questions.” (see CV)

Somiari's interest in technology began as a child in Nigeria; he liked to build model cars. His mother wanted him to become a doctor but he was saddened to see the local hospital struggle to cure patients.

“I thought, if I go into research, I can come up with better ways to help patients,” says Somiari. He studied microbiology and began working in industry, which at the time in Nigeria was dominated by food manufacturing.

His master's work in enzyme and food technology was his introduction to the study of proteins. Then a fellowship from the Polish government and the World Bank took him to the Technical University of Lodz in Poland and to the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, for a PhD where he switched to biotechnology. He took up molecular biology and biomedical research as a postdoc at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine, studying gene expression in clinical samples.

There he met Nicholas Jacobs, president of Windber Medical Centre in Pennsylvania. Jacobs had funding to establish a research institute and was looking for a scientist to head it. It was an opportunity Somiari couldn't pass up.

“It gave me a chance to finally implement the ideas I'd had over the past ten years,” he says. He bought the latest high-throughput genomics and proteomics analytical equipment, established key research partnerships, built an extensive tissue bank and increased the institute's size to 45 employees working on eight research programmes.

By 2004, Somiari saw a need for another organization. Many researchers needed to do analytical proteomics work, but didn't have the necessary instrumentation and couldn't afford to use service companies that cater mainly to drug companies. Somiari started his own company, Integrated Technologies and Services International (ITSI) Biosciences, which began providing affordable proteomics services to academics this year.

Somiari advises young scientists to move into new areas and diversify their knowledge and skills. “The good thing about being a scientist is that they may take your job from you but not your knowledge,” says Somiari. “Your success, achievements and failures will remain with you.”