Women in Science at Fios

February 11th is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The gender gap for roles in science differs between the various fields – bioinformatics and computational biology fits between biology and computer science, and also sits between its parent fields in how balanced gender representation is.

We have a fantastic team at Fios – and we thought for Women in Science Day, we’d highlight some of the women in both our Operations and Business Development teams. Laura and Lorna, both Bioinformaticians, as well as Kristen, Natalie and Eleanore (Account/Business Development Managers), answered some of our quick-fire questions:

How did you get into bioinformatics?

Lorna: “In university we often discussed in lectures how bioinformatics was shaping all fields of biological research, and I wanted to do a PhD which would let me learn how to incorporate it into my work. Over the years I found myself gravitating towards and enjoying the computational side of my research more than the lab-based side, and decided to pursue it as a full-time career.”

Laura: “In the final year of my undergraduate maths degree, I did a course called “Maths Biology”. I was really excited by using maths in interesting “real world” applications after a few years of predominantly really theoretical stuff. It just spiralled from there… I did a Master’s with a lot of weight on mathematical modelling of biological problems. The natural next step after that was to look for a PhD along similar lines.”

How do you describe what you do to friends and family?

Natalie: “I help to bridge the gap between lab research and the analytical interpretation of data generation, resulting in meaningful answers to questions.”

Eleanore: “I tell them that we take data from pharma and biotech companies’ clinical trials and help them analyse it, in order for them to discover new treatments/ understand why some patients respond to their drug over others. It’s only a small part of how we help our clients but it’s the most straight forward way to explain it in about 10-20 seconds.”

Lorna: “My explanation of what I do is still developing, so this is a work in progress! But ultimately it depends on who I’m talking to. People always have plenty of questions.”

Kristen: “I let them know I work for a company that analyses data such as genetics (DNA) since it is the most common term.  Although, most of my family and friends still have NO idea what I do.”

Laura: “I generally start with: “I analyse biological data”. And if they dare ask for any more detail, I usually go on to say that the most frequent question I’m trying to answer is which genes ‘change’ between groups, e.g. healthy and unhealthy patients, responders and non-responders to a drug. ‘Change’ can mean a lot of things, but I try to keep it vague when talking to people without a background in biology. Sometimes people want more information, but usually by that point they have started to move the conversation on.”

What do you like about the bioinformatics field/industry?

Kristen: “It’s ever evolving and can be utilised across all Life Science verticals and sub-verticals.”

Laura: “I like the diversity of the problems. Being a bioinformatician means you could be working on problems that relate to any organism, any disease, using multiple data types. The questions that are being answered using bioinformatics are wide reaching and that makes things interesting!”

Eleanore: “From a business development perspective, I like that bioinformatics serves and supports companies involved in all sorts of amazing areas of research. I get to have really interesting conversations about what our clients are working on, knowing that our bioinformatics services are helping them discover the next cutting-edge treatment for a debilitating disease.”

Lorna: “I like how dynamic it is. The technologies and methods are always developing and we are able to do more and more every year, so you are constantly learning new things.”

Natalie: “Where it is going and how it will help to shape the future of targeted pharmaceutical treatments. It’s predictive and prognostic potential for patients.”

What do you think are the biggest challenges working as a bioinformatician?

Lorna: “For me it’s that there are often many different ways to approach a problem. Often there is not one “best” solution, and you could spend endless time researching and discussing. My decisiveness is improving with experience though.”

What do you think the biggest challenges of working in a bioinformatics company are?

Laura: “The diversity. While this keeps things interesting, it also keeps you on your toes. There are always new developments, new technologies, new data types – it’s a fast moving industry. And given that the biological questions can vary to a large degree between projects, it’s a challenge to try and get some deeper insight into the problem when interpreting the results.”

Natalie: “Staying on top of progress. Science is an ever progressing and changing field with new methods and technologies emerging all the time.”

Kristen: “Understanding the language.”

Eleanore: “As I am in a client facing role, it can be quite challenging trying to understand exactly what support and type of service our client needs. Everyone I talk to has a different level of understanding of what bioinformatic analysis can reveal in their research, and trying to get that across to them in a way that they understand it will directly benefit their research is not always easy to do.”

What’s something that surprised you about your role?

Natalie: “I enjoy travelling and meeting new people. I have been surprised by the number and type of research facilities and programmes that I have come across while working here.”

Eleanore: “How rewarding it is to work for a services-based company. Although I left the lab behind a long time ago, I still have an active interest in science. In this job, I get to help clients by connecting them to our services to advance their research and take an active interest in the science behind it.”

Kristen: “How bioinformatics is utilised in such a wide variety of ways.”

What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?

Lorna: “To take a step back, think about where you are and visualise where you want to be. Taking the time to do this over the last couple of years has really helped me to focus my goals and decide on what was the right next step for me.”

Natalie: “If at first you don’t succeed…”

Kristen: “Adapt your message delivery to your audience. How you articulate a message is as important as what the message is.“

Eleanore: “Everyone is winging it’. When I first started moving away from a lab-based role and got more involved in business development, I had major imposter syndrome. My boss at the time told me that everyone else feels that way to some extent and with time I started to realise that was true. I also realised that despite being more experienced on the business development side of things now, that you continue to do something new that makes you still feel like you are winging it. But it is good to know it’s okay to feel that way and it is probably a good thing, as it means you are pushing yourself.”

What is your favourite thing to do when you’re not working?

Natalie: “Running and being outdoors. I plan to start horse riding again soon.”

Laura: “I’m not much of a hobbies person.  The usual stuff – TV, reading, gigs, going out for food. Oh and most importantly, planning holidays!”

Eleanore: “Generally being active and exercising. This is predominantly through CrossFit (I promise it is not a cult). It’s great exercise and very sociable too. Plus, it means I can do more of my second favourite thing to do…which is eat awesome food!”

Kristen: “I love spending time with my two sons and exploring new places with them.”

Lorna: “I like to be outdoors, walking, cycling, skiing, camping. So, moving to Scotland was a good decision.”

If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be?

Eleanore: “Speak another language, specifically Spanish.”

Kristen: “I would love to learn how to fly.”

Natalie: “Instantly being able to speak and understand any language.”

Lorna: “Outside of work, I’d love to be able to play flamenco guitar.”

Laura: “A degree in Biology would be useful! Maybe something sporty, I have never been any good at sports. So, I’d like to pick up a skill (and passion for) something that is active and healthy.”

What could you give a 10-minute presentation about with no advance preparation?

Kristen: “How chiropractic saved my life.”

Lorna: “I took up sewing and dressmaking a few years ago as a creative outlet, so I think I could run a good impromptu class on how to make a cushion or something.”

Natalie: “Phenotypic mutations and expression.”

Who inspires you?

Natalie: “David Attenborough. Wildlife, conservation and science.”

Lorna: “My supervisor during my PhD was inspirational in many ways as a mentor and a scientist, and I always try to channel her energy and enthusiasm, in work and in life.”

Kristen: “My two sons inspire me every day to smile and my mom inspires me to be just as strong as she is as a woman and mother.”

Eleanore: “Pretty much anyone who successfully starts and/or grows an early stage company. I have always worked in the start-up environment and would love to do it myself one day. Whether the company succeeds long term or not is irrelevant to me. To take a company and its product/service from nothing to a commercial product that sells globally is one of the most impressive things someone/a founding team can do.”

More information on Women in Science

To meet more members of our team, visit our Key Contacts page.

Visit the International Day of Women and Girls in Science website for more information about how to get involved on the day and take action.

Women are underrepresented in computational biology: An analysis of the scholarly literature in biology, computer science and computational biology (2017).

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