Oliwia Zawadzka, Research Laboratory Technician

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What I do

My job involves supporting scientists and university students to do their experiments, in the Physics Department at the University of Cambridge.

I help by keeping the laboratory clean, safe and organised. I deal with biological samples and chemicals, and I fix things when they aren’t working properly.

Research Laboratory Technician Oliwia in the lab, wearing a lab coat and gloves, handling some tiny vials.

How I became a technician

For my GCSE options, I chose business studies, media studies, history and Spanish. After that, I took A-levels in biology, chemistry and criminology.

At the time, I was hoping to become a pathologist, which is someone who helps diagnose illness by studying biological samples in a laboratory (like blood or tissue).

How I became a technician

Unfortunately, my mental health wasn’t good during my A-levels, and things didn’t go the way I wanted. I didn’t do very well in my exams, and it suddenly I felt like I needed to rethink things and start again at age 18.

But instead of giving up, I decided I wanted to try and find something more hands-on.

How I became a technician

I find it hard to learn things from a book – I remember things much better when I’m shown what to do and when I’m doing it myself. So, I decided to look into apprenticeships.

I applied to do a few different apprenticeships, including one in the Physics Department at the University of Cambridge – even though I hadn’t studied physics since my GCSEs!

How I became a technician

I interviewed for it and got the position. It was a Level 3 Research Laboratory Technician apprenticeship, which involved working in the lab, alongside studying for a BTEC in Applied Science.

After my apprenticeship, I moved into my current role as a Research Laboratory Technician, and even now, I’m still learning alongside my job.

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A typical day in my working life

I usually start at around 9am and finish at around 5pm. When I arrive, the first thing I do is plan my day.

I check my emails and then I check the ‘technician help desk’, which are notifications that the whole technician team can see.

I’ll see if anyone has submitted any tasks or issues that need sorting.

A typical day in my working life

I also check to see if I have any feedback or messages from my course, because alongside my job, I’m studying for a HNC (Higher National Certificate) in biology. It’s important to stay on top of my studies, especially as I’m nearing the end of the course.

After my checks, I’ll have a quick catch-up with the laboratory manager and the chemical safety officer. We talk through what’s happening that day, what’s coming up and what needs doing first.

A typical day in my working life

One big job that I need to do regularly is sorting biological waste, like petri dishes with cell cultures on (cells grown in the lab). I take them to the autoclave, which is like a super-powerful steriliser that uses heat and pressure to make it safe.

Each run takes about two hours, so I set it going, then come back later to collect it. It’s not difficult, but it’s time consuming, and I have to stay on top of it because lots of people create waste.

A typical day in my working life

On other days, I work on the ATLAS project, which is a part of the Large Hadron Collider – a huge underground particle accelerator in France and Switzerland, that scientists use to study tiny particles.

I’m helping to upgrade the ATLAS detector, by building some new hardware for it. That can mean putting on a clean suit and going into a clean room (a super-clean space with no dust or dirt) to build circuit boards and other parts.

A typical day in my working life

Because the detector needs to be able to measure subatomic particles, it’s got to be put together very precisely.

I’m often working at the scale of tens of micrometres – that’s a hundred times smaller than a millimetre!

We have special equipment that lets me work accurately with parts that are this small.

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Research Laboratory Technician Oliwia in the lab, wearing a lab coat and gloves, looking at a sample through a microscope.

What I love about my job

The best part is meeting different people. I work with university students, researchers, professors and even companies using our facilities.

It’s fun because everyone is doing something different – from biophysics (physics linked to living things and medicine) to high energy physics (like the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator experiment).

It’s nice seeing what everyone’s working on and getting experience of lots of different things. I get a little insight into lots of projects, and that makes the job feel exciting and varied.

The skills I use most

Precision matters because some of my tasks have no room for error. For example, I might have to prepare glue in a very specific way, using exact timings because the viscosity changes over time (viscosity is how runny or thick a liquid is). If I get it wrong, the glue won’t behave in the right way.

Communication is important too, because everyone I support has different timelines and deadlines. I need to be able to explain what I can do, when I can do it, and what the priorities are. I need to stay on top of things, be realistic, and communicate effectively.

I get a little insight into lots of projects, and that makes the job feel exciting and varied.

I see my job as something I can keep on building – I want to carry on working, learning and stepping up.

Build your options, and be confident about your choices – because there is always something else you can do.

A little more about my everyday role

The best bits about working in a team

I’m part of a technician team of eight people who cover the whole department. Even though I’m mostly based in the Physics of Medicine building, I still feel like I’m connected to everything going on across the physics department.

Having a team around me means there are other people who understand the pressure, the priorities and the safety rules, and we can work together to keep the department running.

My favourite piece of equipment

There is one piece of equipment I find fascinating – the Bio X6 bioprinter. It’s like a 3D printer, but with living cells. At the moment, it can only print small biological structures, but in the future, this technology might be able to print new skin, bones, or organs for transplants.

I learned about bioprinting during a knowledge exchange programme, where I spent time in Manchester learning how it works. That’s the kind of equipment that makes me think the future of science is going to be wild in the best way.

What I like to do in my spare time

I like experiences and travelling. Recently, I’ve visited Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Scotland.

One of the most unusual things I’ve done is travelling alongside a racing team, during a BMW racing championship series around England. I don’t like sitting down for too long, I like to keep doing things!

My school days

When I was younger, I was really sporty – I did swimming and a couple of martial arts, competitively. When I was starting my A-levels, I was even hoping to train as a kickboxing coach.

I didn’t grow up thinking I’d be working in a science laboratory. For me, it’s been a journey to figure out what I enjoy, what I’m good at, and finding a path that fits me.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

I won a community award from my apprenticeship training provider because I took part in an outreach event where school students come to the physics department for some shows and demonstrations.

I presented to about 600 students across three days, speaking to them about apprenticeships and getting into science. It was great to speak to young people who are about to make big choices, and it was nice that all my preparation and effort got noticed.

A surprising fact about my job

People often assume apprenticeships are only for a few types of jobs, like hairdressing or mechanics, but that’s not true. There are apprenticeships available for all sorts of roles.

People are also surprised when I tell them that physics isn’t just one thing. There are many different types of physics, like semiconductors, biophysics and high energy physics.

The next steps in my career journey

I’m currently studying for my HNC (Higher National Certificate) in biology, which takes two years. After that, I’m hoping to move on to a Level 6 degree apprenticeship.

I see my job as something I can keep on building – I want to carry on working, learning and stepping up.

The advice I’d give to someone younger

Get informed. The information is out there, and there are more options than people sometimes realise. When I was looking, my school wasn’t giving much information about apprenticeships, so I had to find it myself.

Look for the details, build your options, and be confident about your choices – because there is always something you can do.