Staff: Dr. Jack Pender
In any lab, Dr. Jack Pender is professional but easily approachable with a big smile. His role at East Carolina University blurs the lines between faculty and staff. He teaches and mentors students but is considered a 12-month scientific staff member. No matter his classification, Pender is making a huge impact on eastern North Carolina and in the lives of numerous student researchers and professionals in the pharmaceutical industry.
“Being at ECU has been a dream come true for me,” Pender said. “I never thought I would be able to come back to academia after starting a career in industry. Ironically, it turned out that pharma industry experience was my ticket back.”
Pender, left, instructs attendees of a two-day short course on high-performance liquid chromatography in the Science and Technology Building. (Photo by Ken Buday)
For 14 years, Pender worked in the professional world. Before coming to ECU, his most recent position was with Catalent, a global leader in enabling pharma, biotech and consumer health partners to optimize product development, launch and supply for patients worldwide.
During his final five years with Catalent, Pender began volunteering his skills and talents in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry for the pharmaceutical industry skills laboratory: good manufacturing practices course. This upper level class is a unique course that prepares students to test products in a pharmaceutical laboratory while following Food and Drug Administration rules and regulations. Pender said the course has been a community effort since its inception in 2004, with most lectures and lab activities being led by regional pharma professionals.
After spending so many years volunteering and becoming familiar with ECU’s equipment and lab activities, Pender said it was a logical choice to apply for a permanent position when one became available.
In 2015, after a $1.1 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation was awarded to ECU to develop a laboratory-based education and training network for the pharmaceutical industry, Pender was hired as the director of pharmaceutical training and laboratory services in chemistry.
Now, after nine years, Pender also manages chemistry’s elemental analysis service center, and he is the associate director for pharmaceutical sciences at ECU’s Eastern Region Pharma Center, created in 2020 from a subsequent $1.9 million Golden LEAF Foundation award. The center is a leader in workforce development and has partnerships with 15 pharmaceutical companies and five regional community colleges.
Pender, right, delivers opening remarks to nearly 200 people who attended the 2024 ECU Spring Pharma Conference. (Photo by Ken Buday)
Pender is especially proud to organize ECU’s annual spring pharma conference, now in its fifth year, which allows regional professionals to network and share their pharmaceutical knowledge. This year’s conference was attended by nearly 200 guests, up from 68 who attended in its first year in 2019.
He tells ECU students that they can’t know what career paths exist for them until they are in their first job.
“They will see people doing all sorts of jobs in that company they never could have imagined or understood, if I told them,” he said. “That is when they will realize what resonates with them and which career directions they are drawn toward.”
A passion for ECU and the Pirate life includes other people in Pender’s family. His oldest daughter, Carolina, is a second-year Honors College student majoring in entrepreneurship, and his wife Lauren helps business majors prepare for careers at the Cunanan Center for Professional Success in the College of Business.
When not working, Pender enjoys decompressing in his garage, going fishing, camping with friends and family, and preserving his mental health by playing the banjo and keyboard.
Quick Quiz
What do you like to do when not working? I like to decompress in my garage, tinkering on my motorized toys. I also enjoy fishing and camping on the beach at Cape Lookout in my truck camper with friends and family. I call it “turtle living” because I have my house on my back, always have everything with me and can choose to spend the night wherever, as long as I stay above the water line.
Last thing I watched on TV: The mountain bike competition for the 2024 Olympics. I don’t mountain bike, but it was fascinating to see such a tough course and how fast they cleared the obstacles.
First job: Putting in tobacco at age 10.
Guilty pleasure: Honda three-wheelers; I have six at my house and a couple more at the family farm in Wilson. My favorite one is an early model 1971, with original balloon tires. It was designed to be easily disassembled and folded for transport in a car trunk.
One thing most people don’t know about me: I love playing the keyboard and banjo. When not playing alone for my mental health, I enjoy playing these instruments around the campfire.
Fast Facts
Name: Dr. Jack Pender
Title: Director of pharmaceutical training and laboratory services, Department of Chemistry, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences
Hometown: Wilson
Colleges attended and degrees: Barton College, Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and chemistry, with a minor in mathematics (‘00); University of South Carolina, doctorate in analytical chemistry (‘04)
Pirate Pride
Years working at ECU: Nine
What I do at ECU: My role involves being a connection between ECU, the Department of Chemistry and the regional pharmaceutical companies. I teach the pharmaceutical industry skills lab, preparing students to work in a pharma laboratory. I also do a little research, mentor students, teach
What I love about ECU: I love how ECU faculty care so much about the students. There is a genuine desire to help students find their areas of interest, progress through their programs and move on to rewarding careers. I also love the way the Pirate community rallies behind our sports teams. People around here are proud to be Pirates.
Research interests: My research interests reflect areas of need in testing pharmaceutical and cannabis products. Both projects are based on the hydrophobic-subtraction model for reversed-phase liquid chromatography.
What advice do you give to students? I tell students that they can’t know what career paths exist for them until they are in that first job. Then, they will see people doing all sorts of jobs in that company that they never could have imagined or understood, if I told them. That is when they will realize what resonates with them and which career directions they are drawn towards.
Favorite class to teach? CHEM 4522/6622 – Pharmaceutical industry skills laboratory: Good manufacturing practices