What degree did you study?
I graduated with a first class honours degree in biomedical science. I initially studied biochemistry at the University of Surrey for two years before transferring to the biomedical science course for my final year of study after my placement year.
How did you get your job?
I worked as a research assistant (RA) in my current team at the Sanger Institute, which I had applied to following a six-month break after university. After three years as an RA, the opportunity to apply for an advanced research assistant (ARA) position came up.
What's a typical working day like?
It's 80-90% lab based and mostly involves carrying out assays across cell culture or molecular biology. In cell culture, these sorts of experiments can involve gene editing (CRISPR/base editing) to investigate how absent or mutated genes can impact cancer cell survival. In molecular biology, I could be extracting DNA for sequencing or extracting proteins for Western blots to confirm these knock-on effects.
I'm also responsible for a number of day-to-day lab maintenance tasks including:
- raising equipment repair tickets
- ordering and stocking the media that is used to grow cancer cells or preparing aliquots (small portions) of reagents.
And even in a practical role, there's plenty of regular meetings and presentations to attend and experiments to record.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The practical aspect of my work is one of the main reasons why I've stayed in this role. I get to have a direct hand in producing incredibly valuable and impactful research, while also having plenty of opportunities to explore new technologies and techniques. Working on a small project team also means that the lab work changes along with the project demands and I appreciate having a workload that's both variable and interesting.
What are the challenges?
While overcoming challenges is often one of the highlights of a scientific career, it's sometimes the routine problems that are particularly frustrating. When an experiment isn't running as it should, sometimes it's just a user or communication error. Other times, you really have to delve into the science and adapt the protocol to account for unexpected variables.
Finding time for your own professional development can also be difficult as meeting project goals and deadlines often take priority. It's important to find a supportive manager and team environment where the time or opportunities are provided. You may want to see if they're part of the Technician Commitment initiative or have specific training or mentorship schemes available.
How is your degree relevant?
My biomedical sciences degree is directly relevant to my work. My course included oncology and practical modules, and I even gained laboratory and research experience during my placement year and final year research project. It definitely helps me with understanding and adapting experiments and protocols and gives me background knowledge to return to should I wish to change research fields.
How has your role developed and what are your career ambitions?
Compared to my first few years as an RA in high-throughput screening, my role as an ARA is much more varied and requires more input and decision-making from my end to meet project goals. Although there's greater responsibility, the greater independence and chances to engage with the research itself have made it incredibly fulfilling and rewarding work.
In time, I'd like to narrow down my area of expertise as a technical specialist and provide greater advice and assistance to researchers and other lab members.
What advice can you give to others wanting to get into this job?
- Look for opportunities to gain practical lab experience, such as a placement year, dissertation project, apprenticeships or T Levels.
- Be curious. Find and explore areas you are interested in, whether that's through reading scientific articles, journals or non-fiction books, or even attending scientific talks and exhibitions. It can help identify both areas you are interested in, and the ones you aren't.
- If there is a particular scientific area you're interested in, check out postings for technical or research positions and see what knowledge or experience they're looking for. This could help direct which learning or training opportunities you decide to pursue.
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