Tuesday 11 February is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To mark it we’ve asked our longest serving member of staff, Biomedical Scientist, Zoe Dawson, to tell us about her career so far and offer advice to anyone looking to follow in her footsteps.

Tell us a bit about your education? 

At GCSE I studied both biology and chemistry as these were subjects that I enjoyed. I continued with biology at A-level. At this point I had never considered a career in science so for my other subjects I chose history and business studies. 

After A-levels I wanted to start earning money rather than go to University. I saw some junior science positions advertised in the local paper and as biology was my best subject I applied. I got a position as a Junior Research Technician, in an Equine Immunology Department. 

I really enjoyed working in science and realised that to progress my career I would need a degree. Fortunately, my employers were willing to fund this and gave me the time to attend courses. I initially went to evening classes to gain A-level chemistry. I then studied for a BSc (Hons) in Cell and Molecular Biology. This involved attended a local university one day a week so took five years instead of the standard three. But by working at the same time I was also gaining a lot of practical experience which made the course much more relatable.

When I moved from scientific research into a clinical diagnostic environment, I went back to University part-time to obtain the required modules of an accredited Biomedical Science degree. I was then able to complete my portfolio to register as a Biomedical Scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Is this the field you always hoped to get in to? 

Working in science was not something I considered until after I had completed my A-levels. At this time, I watched series on genetics research which caught my interest. This was at about the same time as I saw the adverts for the junior science positions that I applied for. 

Has being female ever presented any barriers to you being in the scientific field?

In my experience being female has never presented any barriers to working in the scientific field. I have worked in environments where women are equally represented, and I’ve been lucky enough to work with a number of inspiring women who are pioneering in their field.

What does a typical day for you involve?

Generally, the day is split between the laboratory and the office. It can involve logging in samples received and assigning to the appropriate assays. For the assays I am responsible for I prepare reports once the results are available. I verify and authorise reports generated by other members of the team. I also support customer queries.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I enjoy that my job is multi-faceted and that every day is different. I also like working as part of a team. We need to work well together as a team to maintain our quality systems and ensure we provide accurate results to our customers in the expected timeframe.

What are the challenges?

The variety of the work is also the area that gives the greatest challenge.  A high level of organisation is required to complete tasks at the expected quality level within the working day. It can be very easy to become involved in one thing at the detriment of something else that may be less appealing. 

Hopes for your future?

My hopes of the future are to continue to work with our clinical laboratory team to provide a quality clinical diagnostic service at Cambridge Clinical Laboratories. I also hope that we will continue to expand the portfolio services we provide.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to break into this field of work?

My advice would be to try and get some practical experience if possible, whether this be a work placement or assisting in a research lab in your university. The scientific field itself is very diverse with research, commercial, veterinary and medical. There are plenty of opportunities to find an area that interests you most.

Connect with Zoe on LinkedIn

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