Women in Science - engineering life’s mysteries: Joaquima Guix Salichs’ journey
With a passion for problem-solving and sustainability, her journey into science began with a fascination for philosophy and the origins of life, ultimately leading her to specialize in biochemistry. Read her full and fascinating story here:
Could you give us an overview of your work?
As department lead, I am responsible for determining the overall direction of our engineering and extraction technology team at Bioiberica. It’s a great team to lead comprised of 15 scientists, with a diverse mix of backgrounds - hailing from the fields of engineering and life sciences, including biology and chemistry.
My main focus is supporting the team in solving process challenges on an industrial scale as well as finding, developing and putting into production new protocols for the extraction of active molecules. At the same time, I’m always encouraging colleagues to make the continuous improvements that boost the quality and purity of our molecules and reduce our environmental impact.
When did you realize you were interested in science - as a young child, teen, or older?
As a child, I was actually very interested in philosophy - especially the theories relating to the origin of life. Right from the start, I was acutely aware of the strong connection between science and philosophy, and this draw to understand life in all its complexities led me to study, and later specialise in, biochemistry.
Could you describe your personal journey bringing us to where you are now?
After graduating with a degree in biochemistry, I joined Bioiberica as an intern analyst working in the quality control department. A few months in, I moved into the production department, where I worked as a machine operator.
From there I haven’t looked back: I was quickly promoted to plant manager for our antibiotics production facility, and then thanks to my experience in production process improvement, I was promoted again to a new position as a manager in the Process Engineering Department (PED).
In line with Bioiberica’s continuous growth as a company, the PED department has also expanded in size and function. As well as process engineering, we’re now responsible for the research and development of molecules and substances, as well as the scale-up of their extraction processes – all with the aim of commercialising new, high-value products.
What challenges did you face - as a woman or otherwise - along the way and what is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
At the start of my career, I only knew of a few other women working in science. Engineering departments in particular were overwhelmingly staffed by men. That being said, although I sometimes felt I had to justify my work to others in the beginning, I don’t believe I faced any particular challenges due to being a woman. In many ways I can attribute this to the culture of equity and fairness at Bioiberica. As an employer, they’ve always encouraged women working to pursue fulfilling careers in science.
The main lessons I learned along the way were to let my passion for knowledge shine through, work hard, be humble, celebrate successes as a team and, of course, to learn from my mistakes. This, I feel, is the right way to get ahead in life, and especially in science.
What ignites your passion in your current role?
Without a doubt, solving problems is what drives me. Doing my best to scale-up processes for new products, optimising production practices and, most importantly, ensuring our activities align with Bioiberica’s commitment to building a circular economy – these are the things that ignite my passion for what I do. I am extremely proud to be able to contribute to this fairer, more sustainable business model together with my team.
Could you share some advice for young women starting to develop an interest in science or wanting to pursue a career like yours?
Fortunately, nowadays there are so many more women working in the world of life sciences. My advice to young people thinking of pursuing a career in the field is - if you love it, go for it! Science is the driving force that makes society better and more sustainable in many ways, increasing our quality of life, longevity and, ultimately, happiness. We have a critical role to play in advancing this push for a better world, but that’s not to say everything is easy for women. Managing personal challenges, such as maternity leave and parenthood, within the timeline of what can be a demanding job is not a clear-cut issue. To me, what’s important here is to approach setbacks with passion and enthusiasm. In life as in science, sometimes things can go wrong. In these situations, positivity is the key to overcoming obstacles, both personal and professional.
