Advice for young women in science - stay curious and inquisitive the rest will follow

She obtained a PhD in experimental pathology from Lund University, and subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship on the molecular mechanisms of prostanoid signaling in vascular haemostasis and oncology at University College Dublin.

Could you give us an overview of your work?​

Almac Diagnostic Services supports Pharma and Biotech in the discovery, development and commercialization of biomarkers to identify patients that will respond to their therapeutics. I have global responsibility for Product Development, which means that I oversee the cross-functional teams (Assay development and validation, Biostatistics, Software and Manufacturing) that develop, validate and manufacture the laboratory-based tests that are used to detect these biomarkers. The continued emergence of personalized medicine, with a large proportion of new medicines requiring a diagnostic test to identity patients that will benefit from treatment, has put Diagnostic companies such as Almac Diagnostic Services on the critical path towards drug approvals for the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, we work very closely, and in a highly collaborative manner, with our Pharma partners to ensure that development of the diagnostic is aligned with drug development, enabling contemporaneous regulatory approval and market launch.

When did you realize you were interested in science? As a young child, teen, or older? ​

I had a general interest in science as far back as I can remember, especially anything to do with human biology always seemed to fascinate me. My grandmother would fuel this interest by telling me stories of unusual illnesses and ailments, which is perhaps why I used to say I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. However, I don’t think that my interest in science was properly ignited until at the age of 13 I was lucky enough to get an extremely inspiring chemistry teacher. He did what all good teachers do and brought us as students along on a journey of discovery, opening this entirely new world to me, and from then I was hooked. As I studied more chemistry, I found that the organic side fascinated me the most, which ultimately led me on to cellular and molecular biology – possibly because it tied in to that very early interest in human health and disease.

Could you describe your personal journey bringing us to where you are now? ​

After completing a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology at Lund University in Sweden I moved to Ireland to do research on inflammatory signaling pathways as a post-doctoral fellow at University College Dublin. While I always enjoyed the investigative nature of research work, I knew early on that I wanted to pursue a corporate career and took my first step in that direction when I accepted a Senior Scientist role within a research group at Almac Diagnostic Services in Craigavon in Northern Ireland. A few years later I moved into the service side of the business, where I focused on assay development and validation. I found that I really enjoyed developing diagnostic assays to meet the specific requirements of our Pharma customers, in particular the challenge of applying scientific knowledge and experience to ensure that the assay was technically suitable, whilst also keeping a close eye on budget and timelines. This balancing act really appealed to me, and I believe worked to my strengths. I’ve always been pragmatic and find it relatively easy to change direction and refocus on a new goal or approach if that is what is best for our customer, and ultimately the business.

In 2017 I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to take on operational responsibility for Almac Diagnostic Services’ US site in Durham North Carolina. Having a young family at the time it was a big step to take, but I have always tried to live by the rule of ensuring that any regrets are for things I tried, and not chances I didn’t take, and thankfully I also have a very supportive husband who made it possible for us to make the move. We have now been living in Chapel Hill for nearly 7 years, and while we of course miss family and friends in Sweden and Ireland, we have no regrets about coming out to the US.

What challenges did you face - as a woman or otherwise - along the way and what is the most valuable lesson you have learned?​

Earlier in my career my biggest challenge was confidence. Not a lack of belief in my own ability per se, but I struggled to find the confidence to speak up, take credit for my work and put myself and my suggestions out there. While I don’t necessarily think that this is a challenge uniquely felt by women, a lot of female colleagues and friends have mentioned similar struggles. I don’t know that I made a conscious decision to address this, and perhaps it was simply a case of increasing maturity, but as soon as I started voicing my opinion and making myself and my work more visible my career seemed to take off.

That experience has certainly taught me to be more mindful of the hidden potential in people around me, and the importance of encouraging everyone on the team to contribute and dare to be seen and heard, which is something I think we can all benefit from reminding ourselves of.

What ignites your passion in your current role? ​

Getting to contribute to improving treatment options and outcomes for people living with cancer or chronic disease around the world is inspiring in and of itself and is certainly a very good motivator to work hard and endeavor to do your best. It is also very exciting to work in a field that is moving so quickly in terms of new research findings and technical advancements, and I can safely say that not a day goes by when I don’t learn something new.

But in the day-to-day I think most of my inspiration comes from interactions with other people. This can be anything from the thrill of meeting a target through working effectively as part of a team where everyone is pulling in the same direction, or the pleasure of mentoring a colleague and seeing them grow and develop towards achieving their personal and professional goals. In my opinion, Almac as a company does a really great job of looking after its employees and fostering a collaborative work environment, which is one of the main reasons I am still with Almac after nearly 15 years.

What is your current work ethos/style? ​

For me collaboration has always been very important in work, not only do I firmly believe that teamwork generates better outcomes, but it also makes both the journey and the achievements so much more enjoyable. In technical product development bringing subject matter experts from multiple different disciplines together is a critical part of the process. A willingness to share ideas, listen to others, and consider multiple solutions is the key to success, so I try to foster an environment that is open and invites input from everyone. This is equally, if not even more, important when it comes to recognizing that a solution or process isn’t working. In a highly regulated field such as diagnostics and pharmaceuticals it can be a complicated and lengthy process to make changes or shift direction, but this is also why it is so important to identify the need to do so as early as possible such that the overall impact to the project can be minimized. The final, and often most challenging, part of the puzzle is of course learning lessons along the way and ensuring that they are applied in pursuit of ongoing improvement.

Could you share some advice for young women starting to develop an interest in science or wanting to pursue a career like yours? ​

First and foremost, I don’t think that the importance of having a genuine interest in the area you pursue can be overstated. I doubt that there is any job that is fun all the time, and on those bad days, caring about and having a connection with what you do makes such a big difference.

For any science career it’s critical to have a strong technical foundation, this is the basis upon which you will build everything else, so make sure to get that in place first, and as long as you stay curious and inquisitive the rest will follow. Finally, always put effort into communication. Whether you are authoring a paper, presenting a proposal to a customer, writing up a technical procedure, sending an e-mail, or simply talking to a colleague at the coffee machine, clear and concise communication is closely linked to efficiency and productivity, not to mention how critical it is for building those all-important connections and relationships.

So, if science fascinates you, I say go for it. There are so many different career paths you can take within science, so plenty of room to explore new avenues and change direction along the way.