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Imagine waking up every morning knowing you’re making a difference. When you choose a career in the biotech and life science industry, you’re helping to improve the world around you. From software engineering to data science, the sector is teeming with roles that inspire, challenge and fulfil… Get ready to be one of the game-changers of tomorrow.
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At BioIndustry Association (BIA), our mission is to drive innovation and be a catalyst for the industry’s growth. For that to happen, we need to help companies acquire the very best digital talent and enable skilled candidates to secure their dream jobs. Whether you're a recent graduate or you work for a leading tech company, #BIGIMPACT is designed to help you. Together, we can drive positive change.
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#BIGIMPACT exists to connect the best digital talent with the UK’s most-innovative top biotech and life science companies. Discover enriching opportunities spanning everything from bioinformatics to AI.
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Attracting future talent into our sector via #BIGIMPACT is a much-needed initiative.
Malcolm Silander, Managing Partner Co-founder, Precision BioSearch
Dr. Basel Abu-Jamous Director of Computational Biology Nucleome Therapeutics
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Dr. Emmanouela Repapi Senior Bioinformatician Nucleome Therapeutics
Alice Delvecchio Machine Learning Scientist Relation Therapeutics
Are you a representing an university, a professional, BIA member or just want to learn more? If so, you can help us make sure we get the right people in the right roles. Help us educate, inspire and create opportunities for the next generation.
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Our industry needs digital talent: find out how your company can help shape the future of biotech.
As an engineer trained in computational optimisation and uncertainty quantification, which is part of the day-to-day for many industrial sectors, it felt that biology, and in particular bioprocessing, was a land of opportunity, where digitalisation...
What is your story?
Do you want to inspire the next generation? Tell us how and why you got into the industry.
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Set your students up for success. Find out how you can help them start a career in biotech.
Help them make a #BIGIMPACT
Are you looking for change? Find out how you can make your mark in biotech.
Now is the time for your #BIGIMPACT
To bring curative treatments to patients we need to decode the genetics that leads to diseases. Digital and data-driven skills are crucial to this mission.
“TechBio” – the convergence of digital data science and biology – will transform healthcare. Attracting computationally-skilled professionals into this data-driven sector is critical for both driving the sector’s success and dramatically improving health outcomes worldwide.
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...and computer-aided decision-making was in its infancy. I was excited about the impact that this could create for the sector and patients.
Dr Danuta Jeziorska, CEO and Founder
Robert Thong, Co-Founder & CEO
Antoine Espinet, Founder and CEO
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Senior Machine Learning Scientist
Relation Therapeutics
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London, UK/ Full-time
Andrew Parton Lead Data Scientist MultiOmic Health
Ravi Patel Advanced AI Scientist BenevolentAI
Aga Dobrowolska Machine Learning Scientist Relation Therapeutics
Get in touch with us for an exclusive interview on the #BIGIMPACT campaign and the biotech industry.
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Employee spotlights
“I have always been passionate about working in the medical field and wanting to be able to help heal people. Early on, I decided I wanted to be “behind the scenes” and be in biotech. I am motivated by wanting to contribute and make an impact in the health care space. I love a fast paced environment which is what drew me to the biotech start up world and has kept me there!
Ariella Cohain, Chief Technology & Data Officer
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Dr. Arnulf Hertweck Senior Bioinformatician Nucleome Therapeutics
Dr. Anna James-Bott Bioinformatician Nucleome Therapeutics
Dr. Juliana Cudini Machine Learning Scientist Relation Therapeutics
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Harini Srinivasan Principal Scientific Associate and Computational Biologist Serna Bio
Tim Allen Head of ChemAI Serna Bio
Millie Zhao Advanced AI Scientist BenevolentAI
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Nicola Richmond VP of AI BenevolentAI
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Student Digital Industrial Placement
BIA’s Science and Innovation Community have kick-started an industrial placement pilot programme to attract digital talent into the life sciences discovery and innovation space. Click below to find out more!
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Are you currently studying for a data science, informatics, computer science, programming or modelling degree? Are you looking for a digital industrial placement in an innovative life science or biotech company?
Company Digital Industrial Placement
If you are a biotech company that would like to offer a placement to a student currently studying for a data science, informatics, computer science, programming or modelling degree, please get in touch via the link below! (Placements vary from summer to one year in duration).
If you are a biotech company that would like to offer a placement to a student currently studying for a data science, informatics, computer science, programming or modelling degree, please get in touch via the link below! (Placements vary from summer to one year in duration)
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AI Engineer
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As an AI engineer, you will develop AI models from the ground up and test, fine tune and deploy AI systems; including drug target identification and screening as well as predictive modelling.
Data Analyst
Your work will be aimed at gathering, organising and working with data from a wide range of sources: you will also develop, implement and maintain systems for these datasets.
Data Scientist
In this role, you will need to identify key business problems that can be solved through data-driven solutions. A large part of your day-to-day life will involve collecting, cleaning and mining data.
Machine Learning Engineer
This interdisciplinary role will require designing, building and managing algorithms, models and programs so that AI systems can identify patterns and make predictions.
Data Architect
There’s a reason for the job title: as a data architect you will be responsible for creating blueprints for data management systems and manage any existing data architecture.
Prompt Engineer
As a Prompt Engineer, your main responsibility will be to design and craft precise natural language prompts to train AI models to generate more accurate output.
Software Engineer
As a software engineer, you will work on both new and existing software, be it mobile applications, operating systems or even robots.
Bioinformatician
Your work will be aimed at supporting scientific research, like, identifying the tools and resources needed for a specific challenge, analysing and interpreting datasets or creating software and databases.
Computer Scientist
As a computer scientist, you will work with different departments across a company to assess their needs and then identify which digital tools might help.
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Georgiana Neculae Advanced AI Scientist BenevolentAI
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Oxford Nanopore
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Lifebit
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Senior Software Developer
T-Cypher Bio
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The #BIGIMPACT campaign encourages people with digital skills to pursue a career in biotech and life sciences. The campaign aims to close the skills gap in the industry by connecting next-generation digital talent with businesses looking to grow and innovate. This website provides valuable resources including job listings, employee spotlights and tools for the next big step in your career. Whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, join the #BIGIMPACT revolution today and start building a career that makes a real difference.
Top four reasons to choose biotech as a career:
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Biotech is at the forefront of innovation. Advancements in AI and machine learning are benefitting the whole industry from healthcare to sustainability.
The biotech industry is highly collaborative, with a strong focus on teamwork and a supportive community of like-minded individuals working towards a common goal.
Biotech companies often focus on developing products and solutions that positively impact society and the environment, making it a rewarding and socially responsible career choice.
82% of companies in the industry are SMEs and the sector is growing rapidly leading to many opportunities for career development.
Celebrating diversity and inclusion in the innovative life sciences and biotech industry in the UK.
BIA's Women in Biotech community brings together women from across the sector, offering a unique opportunity to connect, support and inspire.
TechBio companies combine cutting-edge techniques from biotech and technology to draw insights from a wealth of data to inform and transform drug discovery and patient care.
Nicola Richmond, VP of AI at BenevolentAI, speaks about the challenges of recruiting people with technical expertise and an understanding of biology and life sciences industry.
Explore more BIA news
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THE #BIGIMPACT TEAM
LET’S WORK TOGETHER!
At BioIndustry Association (BIA), our mission is to drive innovation and be a catalyst for the industry’s growth. For that to happen, we need to help companies acquire the very best digital talent and enable skilled candidates to secure their dream jobs. Whether you're a recent graduate or you work for a leading tech company, #BigImpact is designed to help you. Together, we can drive positive change.
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Dr. Kate Barclay
Director Business Development and Membership Services
Jane Wall
Head of Marketing and Membership Communications
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Head of Membership
Michael McGivern
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Data-driven discovery in life sciences
Mapping diversity and inclusion for UK innovative life sciences
Women In BioTech: Unlocking regional investment and the importance of diversity
Nicola Richmond on closing the skills gap
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Find a job you want, not a job you need.
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Learn more on big opportinities that biotech & life sciences field has to offer
Data Scientist – Protein Sequencing
Bioinformatician (Remote - Nextflow Developer)
Bioinformatician (Remote - WDL Developer)
Bioinformatician I/ II
Data & Connectivity Lead
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Stevenage (Hybrid)
Laverock Therapeutics
AbbVie
Marlow, UK
Are you representing a university, media, biotech industry or simply want to learn more? Get involved and spread the word about the #BIGIMPACT campaign in your network. Together we can educate, inspire and create opportunities for the next generation of digital talent in the biotech industry.
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Harness your digital skillset: choose a job you can be proud of.
Basel leads Nucleome’s computational team who have diverse expertise in bioinformatics, data science, machine learning and software engineering.
He completed a PhD in Bioinformatics at Brunel University London and developed scientific rigor in data analysis and the development of algorithms, studying applications in human, plant, and yeast genetics. He then entered industry to focus on the bigger picture, scientific discovery and translational research. Prior to joining Nucleome, he was a Senior Bioinformatician at Sensyne Health, focused on the analysis of health data from UK hospitals to address challenges within the pharma industry. He is passionate about teaching bioinformatics and remains active in delivering workshops and courses. He has authored several journal articles, book chapters and a book.
1. What inspired you to get into the biotech industry?
Having an impact on lives and human health, as well as the sheer volume and complexity of the technical problem of solving human genetics.
Solving a real and challenging problem using state-of-the-art methods, while pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and designing interdisciplinary solutions. I also enjoy interacting and learning from people with different backgrounds, while pushing my team to develop their soft as well as technical skills.
2. What do you enjoy most about the work you do?
Building and directing the A-star Computational Biology team at Nucleome of highly diverse, smart and dedicated members.
3. What are you most proud of in your career so far?
At Nucleome, people are driven, scientifically rigorous, collaborative, friendly and caring
4. How would you describe your company culture?
Focus on soft skills as much as on the technical skills. Realisation of impactful results requires the ability to focus, handle priorities smartly, define what is fit-for-purpose, manage stress and ambiguity, and be collaborative and dynamic. All these qualities depend on attitude and soft skills beyond merely having the technical skills and intelligence.
5. What piece of advice would you give your younger self/others thinking to move into biotech from academia?
Continuously exciting
6. What one word would you use to summarise your experience so far within this industry?
Dr. Basel Abu-Jamous
Director of Computational Biology
Nucleome Therapeutics
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Prior to her position in Nucleome Therapeutics, Emmanouela was a UKRI Rutherford Fund Fellow working on the integration of data from single cell RNA-Seq technologies with mass spectrometry (CyTOF) data to study cell heterogeneity and differentiation at the Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine (WIMM) of the University of Oxford. Prior to the fellowship, she worked for the Computational Biology Research Group providing advice and expertise on statistical analyses for a variety of projects of the WIMM, focusing on the analysis of all types of RNA Sequencing data and teaching the RNA-Seq course. Emmanouela completed her DPhil at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of Oxford working on the identification and analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect cancer in humans. She was involved in numerous projects, working with clinical and genetic data of different types of cancer including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer. Prior to her PhD, she worked as a training fellow in Genetic Epidemiology at the University of Leicester conducting a meta-analysis of Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) for pulmonary function. Her first degree was in Applied Mathematics at the National Technical University of Athens before completing an MSc in Applied Statistics at the University of Oxford.
Working in the biotech industry you can see ideas implemented into products in a true bench-to-bedside manner.
The day-to-day coding, I just find it fun.
Dr. Emmanouela Repapi
Senior Bioinformatician
Achieving some of my hardest goals, getting my PhD and finishing my paper before I left academia.
Nucleome Therapeutics has a friendly and supportive environment which promotes collaborations between people and groups.
The most important thing is finding the right company to suit your background and expertise.
Fast-paced.
Revolution
Join the
Arnulf’s work focuses on the phasing of genetic variants analysis from single-molecule sequencing data and the creation of visualisation apps for gene expression data to facilitate data exploration by the target validation team. His PhD was in molecular biology at Imperial College London between 2004 and 2009 on the role of micro RNAs in gene expression regulation in T lymphocytes. After his PhD he worked as a postdoc at King’s College London where he investigated how transcription factors utilise gene regulatory elements to regulate lineage-specific gene expression in immune cells. In 2014 Arnulf joined University College London as a postdoc where he continued his work on mechanisms of gene regulation in immune cells. During this time, he used computational methods to analyse and interpret genome-scale biomedical data sets. This work revealed a particular type of mechanism that regulated inflammatory genes in immune cells. This new discovery could be used therapeutically to successfully intervene with inflammatory responses in vivo.
A fundamental problem in drug discovery is that the cost and time of bringing drugs to market is steadily increasing which causes high unmet clinical needs for patients. What inspired me to work in the biotech industry was the potential of applying AI technologies and big data processing to transform the drug discovery process by accelerating design-make-test cycles. This will ultimately improve disease treatment and patient care.
I enjoy developing and implementing analytical tools and workflows to analyse and interpret genome-scale biomedical datasets. In particular, I’m interested in applying predictive models and network-based approaches to multi-omics data to dissect gene-disease relationships in order to identify novel drug targets and biomarkers. In addition, it is important for me to operate in close collaboration with other experimental and computational scientists with the common goal to develop next-generation therapeutics.
The ability of harnessing my knowledge of biological pathways and the computational skills of analysing biomedical data to understanding disease mechanisms. This gives me the opportunity to help creating commercial products that offer life-changing benefits for patients.
At Nucleome we are a talented group of experts, working together at the forefront of drug target discovery. We challenge ourselves by pursuing to find innovative solutions for what seems impossible. The driving force in our work is the ambition to pioneer a new class of therapies that will revolutionise the current standard of care. Our approach to achieving these goals is by fostering creativity, curiosity, and teamwork and by promoting a supportive work environment in which individual contributions make an impact on the development of the company.
Get associated with research environments related to human disease and work on projects in which drug development technologies are applied. This will help gaining skills and domain knowledge which are sought after by biotech companies.
Purposeful.
Dr. Arnulf Hertweck
Anna completed a DPhil in Computational Biology, she was keen to secure a position in a biotech because she wanted to contribute in a meaningful way to combatting human diseases. Working at a biotech is fast-paced and challenging. I enjoy that my work changes day-to-day, that it involves creative problem solving, and that it is at the forefront of knowledge on the human genome. Nucleome is an extremely welcoming and friendly environment, full of industry experts across multiple disciplines that strive to help each other grow. I am extremely happy with my decision to move into biotech immediately after completing my DPhil. I knew that I did not want to pursue a postdoctoral position at a university, but I still wanted to be involved in research and development and be able to innovate. I would encourage other early career researchers to consider careers in biotech too.
Dr. Anna James-Bott
Alice Delvecchio
Machine Learning Scientist
During my university studies in Maths, I realised that I wanted to apply the quantitative skills I was learning to an area that had the potential to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. The biotech industry caught my attention as a field where I could achieve this goal, and I became increasingly drawn to the innovative research being conducted in this area.
One of the things I enjoy about my work is the cross-disciplinary nature of it. We’re building technologies that require a deep understanding of both biology and machine learning, so there’s a lot of collaboration between different areas of expertise. This means there are lots of opportunities to learn about a broad range of subjects by working alongside people from various backgrounds.
I am proud of how much I have learnt so far in my career. I’ve had the opportunity to explore a wide range of machine learning areas and learn how to conduct research in a collaborative environment, which has been a rewarding experience.
The culture is very friendly and open. I have found my colleagues to be incredibly welcoming and willing to answer questions and help.
Learn to code earlier, as it unlocks many opportunities
Fast-paced
As a trained biologist, I was really inspired by how tech was being used alongside biological expertise to not only answer existing questions, but to generate new ones as well. I knew that the future of biological research was not being replaced by tech but very much evolving alongside it, in a really exciting way. It has been incredible to see some of the discoveries that have been made by this combined discipline, and I wanted to position myself in an atmosphere where I could contribute to that.
The interdisciplinary nature of my work is by far the most enjoyable. The richness in thought when multiple perspectives contribute to a problem-solving task make it really satisfying to work on complex, multifaceted projects – big or small. It also helps to keep things interesting! My work is never monotonous.
My proudest moment actually happened when I was a masters student, and I was asked to prepare and present a keynote talk at a conference for my supervisor due to a last minute scheduling issue. I had zero-to-no conference experience yet so my nerves nearly got the best of me. In the end, the talk went very well, and it instilled in me a really deep love for public speaking and scientific communication that I still hold to this day. I am really grateful for it, as the ability to confidently present my work to others on demand, no matter the audience, continues to prove essential as I progress through my career.
Relation is a really enriching environment where problems are solved through the combinatorial power of many perspectives, rather than just the loudest ones. It makes you feel like no matter who you are, your work and your expertise are crucial in decision-making and problem-solving. It has been especially rewarding as someone earlier on in their career to be able to learn from those with really vast experience in a comfortable and welcoming way.
That it's ok to feel a little aimless – being interested in multiple things is what brought me to where I am today and continues to enrich my career. The overarching goal to be achieved often has multiple paths leading to it, it is instead about finding the one that aligns best with the skillset you and those you are working with have.
Curiosity
Data Science Associate
Dr. Juliana Cudini
I have to admit that I fell into the pharmaceutical industry by accident via an interesting industrial research contract. I love applying my technical skill set to solving problems in drug discovery and development with AI approaches and the endpoint of helping patients feel better is very much the icing on the cake
What I enjoy most about my job is getting to work with really talented people on really interesting problems, that if solved, have real societal benefit.
Aside from the successful projects I’ve been involved in, I’m really proud to have had the opportunity to positively impact the careers of junior colleagues and team members.
The culture at BenevolentAI is phenomenal. The people are extraordinarily talented, kind and humble, which is a winning combination. The company actively supports women in the workplace and has a strong ethos around diversity, equity and inclusion.
I would tell my younger self to follow my passions and seek out colleagues who can act as mentors and champions
Gratifying
VP of AI
BenevolentAI
Nicola Richmond
I wanted to work on problems that really matter; problems that can have a positive impact on society. In my opinion, few other applications of AI can have as positive an impact on society and people's lives as working in this industry.
Every time I think I've found a simple solution to a problem I am working on, discussing it with a drug discoverer demonstrates how little I understand the problem and the fascinating complexity within. I enjoy the difficulty of what we are trying to accomplish and the benefit that they could bring for patients.
I would say that I'm most proud of my PhD work. Working on spiking neural networks was an exercise in frustration, but the feeling of achievement working on something I felt was interesting and worthwhile for years was worth the pain!
Collaboration is a cornerstone of what we do and it shows in every team I've worked on. It's been inspiring to work with so many intelligent, passionate people who are driven by their desire to benefit patients.
Find people that are as excited about the problem as you - you'll tackle bigger problems that you thought you could, achieve more than you thought you could, and have more fun than you thought you would.
Inspiring
Advanced AI Scientist
Georgiana Neculae
I have worked in a few different industries before, as an AI scientist, many machine learning models you use to solve the problems in these industries are similar, the difference comes from the data. The main motivation for being in biotech and drug discovery is the potential positive impact I can make. I also come from a science background so it is exciting to be able to apply machine learning to speed up scientific discovery.
I am surrounded by so many talented people that are multidisciplinary, I am always learning from them, whether it is different areas of biology or the newest advancement in machine learning.
I had very basic knowledge on Biology at the beginning, but after 2 years being in the company I am able to lead projects and teams to solve problems in drug discovery using machine learning.
Inclusive and open, we have a very diverse workforce and I feel like I can always speak my mind and be myself at work.
Follow my curiosity and don’t compare myself to others. I get motivation and fulfilment from doing the things I am interested in rather than what I think I should be doing.
Fullfiling
Millie Zhao
Andrew Parton
Lead Data Scientist
MultiOmic Health Limited
My educational background is in mathematics. I became involved in biotech due to the idea of using mathematics to model disease processes. The complexity of biological systems with numerous interconnected components lends itself to computational modelling, helping to understand these systems in ways traditional methods might struggle.
I love the opportunity to work on a wide and diverse set of problems. The complexity of biological systems allows for the use of mathematical modelling and data science in novel and creative ways, which is great fun.
Transitioning from a single discipline in mathematics to a career that requires multiple specialisations was terrifying and exciting in equal measure. Publishing my first complete computational model of atherosclerosis was exceptionally exciting at the time. And I’m very fortunate to have been part of some wonderful teams producing cutting edge tools that have had a direct impact on the bioinformatics community, which fills me with a great sense of pride.
The culture at Multiomic Health is overwhelmingly positive. A collection of talented, driven people with diverse and distinct skillsets coming together to try and build something ambitious is a powerful and enjoyable place to be.
Don’t be afraid to venture outside of the purely mathematical world into other fields of study, there are lots of ways you can help. Never stop learning the irrelevant but cool things, you never know when it’ll be useful.
Fun
I'm excited by the potential in biotech to positively shape the future, if applied with care, to important problems. On the day-to-day level, the rate of development in biology and machine learning is astonishing, and this brings with it a constantly shifting state of play, uncovering new directions for innovation, as well as key challenges.
I love that everyone is driven to collaboratively make progress on our goals, with each person bringing a unique set of expertise and insight to the many complex problems being tackled in drug discovery. This means I have the privilege of always learning new things from my colleagues.
I think I feel most proud of the hard work and determination it took to transition from a medical career, working as a Junior Doctor, to now working as an AI Scientist at BenevolentAI. If you'd told me three years ago that this is what I'd be doing right now, I'd have eaten my hat.
Inclusive, diverse, collaborative, driven, innovative, fun.
I'd tell my younger self that career fulfilment in a large part comes from working on things you believe to be important and positively impactful. So it is well worth it to try to think through what that could look like for you and where your skill sets might be best applied. Luckily nowadays, there's a much more plentiful supply of helpful resources online, for coming up with ideas for career directions that can have a positive impact, to help with finding a really fulfilling career. So I'd definitely encourage myself to tap into this as a starting point.
Collaborative
Ravi Patel
I was drawn to the biotech industry by the prospect of using cutting edge technology to make a tangible, positive impact on patient lives. Moreover, I think it's a tremendously exciting time for applying machine learning to biological problems, often in ways no one has done before, and exploring ways in which we can use this rapidly evolving technology to accelerate the drug discovery process.
What I enjoy most about my work is the opportunity to work on challenging problems alongside a team of exceptionally smart, motivated, and kind individuals. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a diverse and interdisciplinary team that is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible. One of the things that I value most about my colleagues is their egoless approach to problem-solving, which creates a supportive and collaborative environment that encourages everyone to bring their best ideas forward. In addition, my current role at Relation offers a unique blend of a young, dynamic start-up that fosters a high degree of ownership and initiative, along with a team of experienced professionals with extensive backgrounds in big pharma - a combination which has provided invaluable learning opportunities.
As a Machine Learning Research Engineer at Samsung, I had the opportunity to work on a proof of concept project that I am particularly proud of. My team and I were tasked with developing a privacy-preserving approach for training speech recognition models, and it was gratifying to see our hard work research, proposals and prototyping culminate in the project's eventual acceptance by the HQ for commercialization. Throughout my (still brief) career and studies, I have been fortunate to work in a wide variety offields; starting with physical sciences, venturing into the world of cryptocurrency crime detection, transitioning to computer science and machine learning, then jumping into the field of signal processing and currently delving into the fascinating world of biology. I firmly believe that my adaptability and eagerness to learn have been critical to my success in navigating the ever-changing tech landscape. In today's world, where technology is evolving at an unprecedented rate, being open to change and having a learning mindset are key to thriving in any field.
I believe Relation’s company culture is well-reflected in our core values of Compassionate Candour, Empowerment, Collaboration, and High Performance. Personally, I strongly resonate with the idea of Compassionate Candour, as it aligns with my belief in open communication and kindness in the workplace. I believe that addressing issues and mistakes directly and honestly while treating each other with empathy and respect is pivotal to our success. This approach creates a supportive and positive culture where everyone feels encouraged and motivated to continuously improve. I think an excellent example of how we live this value in practice is a strategy we implemented for our weekly interdisciplinary meetings. As we learn to communicate constructively and avoid getting sidetracked, we have implemented a fun practice of using a bunny toy to signify when someone might be going down a rabbit hole. This helps keep the meetings focused and ontrack, without interrupting or shutting down anyone's ideas.
If I could give a piece of advice to my younger self, it would be to not to be afraid to step outside of my comfort zone and occasionally fail. Retrospectively, it is precisely failures that have been a catalyst for my personal and professional growth. Additionally, I would advise myself to approach every situation with a sense of humility and not taking oneself too seriously, recognizing that there is always more to learn.
Exciting
Aga Dobrowolska
I have been fascinated by Biology from a young age and pursued an undergraduate degree in Bioinformatics. As I learned about the field throughout my academic degrees, I had a growing desire to use my skills to solve problems in healthcare and medicine. What better place to see my desire come true than working in biotech companies focussed on drug discovery and impacting healthcare?
The most important things that keep me motivated and working hard are the ability to see my work translate into meaningful impact and continuous learning. Working in Serna allows me to work with a multidisciplinary team to solve challenging problems in public health and to learn something new almost every day [be it technical or non-technical] along the way.
My pick would have to be the growth and transition in my career so far. From being a bioinformatician who worked on stand-alone computational projects that enabled understanding the underlying science, to being an integral part of a drug discovery team that can impact patient care. Even within my short career, I have been pleasantly surprised to discover my skills in adaptability, quick learning and not being afraid of failure. These skills have ensured that I could take up new opportunities, taking ownership early on [with less knowledge/experience in the domain] and leading/driving projects forward.
At Serna Bio, we are a very driven and motivated team that enjoys working collaboratively on challenging problems. We are passionate about our goal, acknowledge that it is quite ambitious, and strive to achieve it by being solution-focused. We celebrate successes and failures as an integral part of science. I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to work at Serna with wonderful, supportive colleagues and to grow in my career.
Follow your heart and take opportunities even when they involve a step out of your comfort zone. Talk to people, collaborate, and ask questions because you are most likely not the only one with those questions. Most importantly, a valuable lesson I have learnt in my career so far is the importance of multidisciplinary work in solving real-life problems, so I would tell my younger self to be open towards learning new things without restricting myself.
5. What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
Intriguing
Principal Scientific Associate and Computational Biologist
Serna Bio
Harini Srinivasan
I think ending up in a pharmaceutical-ish role is kind of like the inevitability of gravity for chemists - the skills we build at university are heavily driven towards that industry. I love the fact that working in the biotech/pharmaceutical research area allows me to have an impact across healthcare worldwide. For me, working at Serna was the right opportunity at the right time. I now encourage everyone I can to try and spend time working in a startup as it completely changes how you think about getting work done! Furthermore - biotech comes with many challenges from a machine-learning perspective that I find highly fascinating. How can we build models on limited and imbalanced datasets? How can we deal with noise in the data that is inherent in biological assays? How can we convince people who aren’t as well-versed in machine learning of the value of our algorithms?
The opportunity to tackle new challenges every day and work with really inspirational people. When working in a company of fewer than 20 people there are constantly new challenges and not enough people to solve them - this means short deadlines and fast iterations. Each day often feels like it involves solving completely different problems, and I really appreciate that challenge. The team at Serna Bio is incredibly inspirational. The quality and sheer amount of work that everyone does is genuinely difficult to believe and makes me want to be better.
Pre-Serna - winning the Lush Science Prize in 2020 during my work with Unilever as a Postdoc at Cambridge - it was amazing for the research we did to be recognised on a stage among so many other talented groups. At Serna - the progress and growth we’ve accomplished in so little time. Before joining Serna, I had no idea so much was possible so rapidly - from publishing ROBIN with Jay Schneekloth to establishing the principles that form the backbone of our knowledge about RNA-small molecule interactions, to beginning medicinal chemistry on our first programs - it has been incredible.
Promote Scientific Excellence Above All Else - we understand what it means to gather evidence, analyse it and draw conclusions without preconceptions and to discuss this as a team to reach the right conclusions. We know that we don't know everything - collecting high-quality data and following it will keep us on the right path! Be Honest and Open to Feedback - request feedback early and often and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Don’t take criticism personally. Always be open and pragmatic about your skills and understanding and ask questions to help improve our overall delivery and your own journey. Commit and Deliver Consistently - put your hand up and say ‘yes, I’d like to help with this’ and work to the highest standard to deliver the best work you can, every time. Being consistent makes a huge difference as doing something great once is great, but doing something great consistently is amazing.
Think about what you really want and how what you are doing gives you opportunities for growth and learning. I think it’s very easy to become comfortable and stagnant, and while this is OK for a time, things are always more exciting when you're pushing your boundaries. Also, remember that consistent hard work always plays out in the long run. I think it’s very easy to become demotivated when things don’t work out as planned, but everything meaningful I’ve achieved in my life is the product of consistent effort over time - and maintaining the highest standards I can set for myself. Finally - take better care of your knees!
Exhilarating
Head of ChemAI
Tim Allen
I think ending up in a pharmaceutical-ish role is kind of like the inevitability of gravity for chemists - the skills we build at university are heavily driven towards that industry. I love the fact that working in the biotech/ pharmaceutical research area allows me to have an impact across healthcare worldwide. For me, working at Serna was the right opportunity at the right time. I now encourage everyone I can to try and spend time working in a startup as it completely changes how you think about getting work done! Furthermore - biotech comes with many challenges from a machine-learning perspective that I find highly fascinating. How can we build models on limited and imbalanced datasets? How can we deal with noise in the data that is inherent in biological assays? How can we convince people who aren’t as well-versed in machine learning of the value of our algorithms?
Life Sciences
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Senior Machine Learning Engineer
