Interview with Eve
Can you tell us about your background?
I graduated from DIT (now TUD) with a bachelor's degree in Biosciences in 2016. Building on this, I did a one year add on to get my honours degree in Biomolecular Science in 2017. By this stage I knew I had a real passion for science – particularly microbiology and I really wanted to see where this passion would take me, and so in 2018 I started my PhD in food safety microbiology working in a collaborative project with Teagasc Ashtown food safety department and UCD. When I finished up with my PhD, I was unsure what my next step for my career path should be but I knew I wanted to do something where I could continue learning and gain as much experience as possible.
What led you to working in NIBRT as a Trainer?
I first heard about NIBRT when I was a student in DIT and I was invited to a careers day, I never imagined when I visited that I would later be returning as a Trainer! I first started to be interested in actively pursuing a career as a Trainer when I was finishing up my PhD. I loved so many aspects of working in research; like having my own projects to manage, being encouraged to learn and understand scientific concepts and getting to talk about science to other like minded individuals, but I wanted to see what other opportunities were available to me as well.
I first applied to NIBRT as a Trainer after my PhD and was unsuccessful in my application. Instead of seeing it as a negative I used it as a learning experience and decided to gain some experience in Biopharmaceuticals and look at reapplying – and this is exactly what I did. I took a job as a QC sterility analyst in a Dublin based biopharmaceutical lab where I made great friends and learnt so much about the biopharmaceutical industry. I could see all of the differences and similarities between it and academia and it was a really invaluable learning experience. After a couple of years I reapplied and was successful in my application.
What does a typical day look like?
Every day is different for me in NIBRT in the best possible way. In general when I come in I will spend some time in the morning preparing for any lectures or practicals I am delivering in that day. The areas or topics in which I usually train include Microbiology, QC testing, Upstream, Fill Finish, and some single use. When I am not training I will spend my time preparing for training in different ways; this could be preparing or updating training materials and I also spend some of my time learning or upskilling on new areas.
What skills have you developed since taking up the Training position?
I have learnt so many new skills since starting with NIBRT a little over a year ago. I have a much better understanding of all areas of biopharmaceutical production including upstream, downstream, fill finish, and quality control. My public speaking and presentation skills have also improved greatly.
What is your favourite aspect of the role?
I think the most fulfilling part of my job is definitely teaching people, I love the rewards and challenges that come along with it. I always think its one thing to understand a scientific concept, but if you cant share that concept in such a way so it is accessible to everyone it can be quite a shame. So when I can find a new analogy that makes something click with a Trainee, or if someone comes away from a practical with me knowing something they didn’t know before, there is no greater feeling.
What do you enjoy most about working at NIBRT?
There are so many things I love about working in NIBRT I’m not sure where to start! I think firstly it would have to be my amazing colleagues, everyone who works in NIBRT is so friendly and easy to get along which just makes coming into work every day that bit nicer. I also love the job itself, I am admittedly a both big nerd, and a chatterbox and so I love having a job where I get to meet and talk to new people each day who are also passionate about science and happy to learn about it with me. I also really like the benefits of working with NIBRT like the pension scheme, health insurance, and annual leave policy.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about a career in Training?
My advice to anyone who is considering becoming a Trainer in NIBRT would be to apply, there really is no other job like it, it’s fun, rewarding, and interesting. We’re encouraged to upskill and learn in areas that are interesting to us, and we get trained in a broad range of different techniques and equipment, we are encouraged to improve and learn and upskill as much as possible in order to provide the best possible training to others.
