 His interest in embryology led him to take his PhD at the California Institute of Technology in 1958 where he studied alongside Howard Temin in the laboratory of Renato Dulbecco.John W. Drake, an early member of the Environmental Mutagen Society, chaired its "Committee 17" which published an influential position paper; “Environmental Mutagenic Hazards”, in Science in 1975.This described the research needs and regulatory responsibility for managing potential mutagenic compounds in the environment.