2. How many different labs have you worked in?

I have been fortunate to work within several Laboratories to some capacity early in my career. I had a very fulfilling placement within a Method Development and Validation lab at a pharmaceutical company, as well as completing a challenging honours project in population genetics in my final year of university.  Since joining Randox, I have had opportunities to work across several Clinical and Molecular Laboratories with talented colleagues from all sorts of backgrounds; within Liverpool and London in England, Holywood and Antrim in N. Ireland and Los Angeles in California.

3. Do you enjoy the practical or theoretical aspect of biomedical science?

Theoretical- I have a drive to learn and understand and thankfully in science that is a continuous journey, as new forms of diagnostics and analysis are born and our understanding can grow or even change.  With a good understanding of the science and a multidisciplinary team of talented individuals to collaborate with, it makes executing the practical work all the more rewarding.

4. What is your favourite part of your day in work?

The end of the day -but not why you might think. I have been trying to be more reflective and as the start of the day can be very busy and hands on, I have found it helpful to review my workload and responsibilities, as well as that of those I help lead, at the end of the day; to better look ahead to tomorrow and acknowledge the efforts of the team.

5. What’s in your lab coat pocket?

Pens, markers, and more pens. My favourite being my engineering pen, with a torch and stylus included.  Thankfully we push for a more paperless world, but a busy lab can need some quick notes to be made. I’m also a very visual person and find it easiest to communicate to colleagues with notes or even a quick sketch.

6. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of laboratory work?

The results we release. Fundamentally the data we release it for the benefit to the individual they deprived from. By stringently monitoring our quality checks and adhering to the procedures and processes we implement, we can have confidence that the results we release have a high level qualitative and interpretive value.

7. In what ways does your work make a difference to people’s lives?

At a personal level, as a clinical deputy manager I aim to optimise and evolve the duties of the colleagues I work with to make their jobs easier and more fulfilling and by extension the functionality of the lab more efficient.

In doing so, I broadly think the work we are doing as a collective, is bringing personalised testing to the masses and in doing so, add to improving the public’s understanding of science, in such that they can begin to take their health into their own hands in a measurable and meaningful way.

8. What is your dream career within biomedical science?

Living the dream. So far in my career I have been able to learn and develop within a profession that aligns with my interests, whilst simultaneously contributing to expanding and exciting industry. Throughout which I have had the opportunity to collaborate with many fantastic, talented, intelligent and hardworking people, from an array of disciplines, during the growth of a impressive clinical testing service as well as a nationwide covid testing service.