What I do

Bioinformatics is quite a broad field. My team focuses more on software development, but it is all based on biology. We develop software that will help scientists track their experiments in the lab.

We are also starting a new project called Saturation Genome Editing which is to do with making lots of edits in the genome and seeing the effects of those. I am supporting the informatics for that and developing software that will help the scientists design the experiments. As the Bioinformatician on the team, I also get involved with data analysis.

Hear more about Beth's role by watching the video below...

How I became a technician

I took triple science, history and geography at GCSE. I then went on to do biology, psychology and chemistry at A-level.

While in sixth form, I got some work experience at Sanger and then applied for and got a year-long placement. I learned to code during my placement, which was a steep learning curve - it involved a lot of self-directed learning with the support of colleagues. I learned a lot from the team. Eventually I was able to contribute to what the team was doing.

to contribute to what the team was doing.
I am now doing an apprenticeship which is a four-year course and at the end I will get a Bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics. I am about to start my final year. The majority of what I have learned and the transferable skills I’ve gained are from the workplace. I’ve been able to learn through making mistakes and having the support of really experienced people around me.

I do one day a week with Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

A typical day in my
working life

In the morning I check emails and messages. We have a short morning meeting every day to discuss what we’ve been working on - that meeting will dictate what I work on for the day. It might be some programming, investigation work looking at other software, running some analysis or just general admin stuff like booking meetings.

If I am on campus, which is a couple of days a week, we normally have a team lunch and go for a walk. I have one study day a week so I will have lectures or practicals online or on campus.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

The fact that I can contribute in a tiny way to the scientific breakthroughs that go on here. I am so passionate about science. Scientists are making important breakthroughs, finding things out about different diseases, like cancer. Sanger is still working on sequencing the COVID genomes and this helped with tracking variants during the pandemic. We also sequence animal genomes here which helps with conservation. It is all very important groundbreaking stuff!

The best bits about working in a team

I work in a team of 10. Everyone gets on really well and it is nice to bounce ideas off people. We have a great relationship and it makes coming to work more fun. It’s nice to come on site and see people face-to-face. It’s very supportive and everyone has different skills. I have learned so much from the more senior members of the team.

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

Learning to code! I had no clue when I started and I have come a long way. Some of the public engagement projects that I have been involved in have been exciting. We did a week-long workshop and activities around COVID and programming. I hadn’t done anything like that before. It was definitely out of my comfort zone and to pull it off was an achievement.

The next steps in my career journey

I would like to become a Bioinformatician, either in my team, the wider group or at Sanger. Hopefully I can get a job here as we have the Technicians Commitment at Sanger.

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