What brought you to Edinburgh Napier?
I decided to study for an MSc in Medical Biotechnology at Edinburgh Napier because of the graduate employability rate. I previously studied for an MSc in Safety and Environmental Management at ENU and graduated in 2015.
I initially wanted to pursue a research career i.e. to do a PhD and hopefully become a lecturer. That was cut short when I started learning about the biotechnology of drug discovery, cell technology, advanced immunology etc. I immediately realised that medical biotechnology is a trend that will last for a long time, so I jumped quickly. I graduated a second time in 2017.
How would you explain what you do to someone who doesn't work in the industry?
The title of my job is Quality Assurance Manager and I work for a medical biotechnology company (Neuroplast B.V.) in the Netherlands. The sector is known as advanced therapeutic medicinal product (ATMP). I am responsible for the maintenance and management of EU GMP legislation to ensure that our cell-based therapy is safe, efficacious and of prescribed quality. I do this with a team of hardworking QA Officers.
Describe the journey from your first graduate job to where you are now.
I officially graduated from my biotechnology Masters in October 2017, but I got a job in 2016 after my first trimester.
I was employed by SEPA as a microbiologist. In April 2017, I got another job with Hyaltech Ltd in Livingston as a QC Microbiologist. In May 2018, I got offered a job as QC Technologist at Porton Biopharma in Salisbury, focusing on sterility assurance. This simply means ensuring that potential microbial contamination in the "clean rooms" is sufficiently monitored/detected and recommend ways to improve the process. In June 2019, I was offered a Quality Assurance Officer job with Lonza Netherlands who is global player in CMO for ATMP manufacture. In July 2020, I was offered a Quality Assurance Manager in Neuroplast Netherlands, where I am still working.
What's next on the cards for you?
My next career card is to gain more experience in the field of ATMP and to become a Qualified Person (QP). I have given myself 4 to 5 years to achieve this.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to enter your industry?
I would advise students to spend time reading job descriptions of Biopharma jobs and familiarise yourself with the terminology. Do some google research to increase your awareness.
This comes in handy because as an employer, I like to see that a fresh graduate took their time to learn a bit about the industry which usually makes the training easier.
What's your biggest achievement away from work?
Relocating to the Netherlands without knowing the Dutch language and being able to integrate into the society in a short period of time.