Employee profiles
Grant
Pathologist, Aquatic Health and Hygiene, Organism Health Group, Weymouth
I joined Cefas in 2000 because I was impressed by their reputation for aquatic research. I chose to work in Weymouth in particular as it’s a highly regarded expert centre for fish disease research. The facilities here are excellent, the staff are highly trained and there are always opportunities for training, as well as involvement in politically relevant science.
My typical day might mean reading pathology slides in the microscope room, liaising with the electron microscopy and molecular biology functions to identify a pathogen, managing financial and staffing issues for ongoing contracts, attending a lunchtime seminar or discussing a new project proposal with colleagues. Travel to national and international meetings, working groups and for contracts is also not uncommon. I especially love the fact that working on contracts allows me to build on experience gained during my undergraduate and post-graduate degrees.
Some of my career highlights include leading the development of molecular pathology within my team and the introduction of bioinformatics as a key requirement in linking pathology to the emerging technologies in molecular biology, such as proteomics. I've also managed to retain and build upon my expertise in crustacean pathology, gained during my PhD.
Cefas is a vibrant working environment. I’m continually impressed by the diversity and quality of the work carried out by my colleagues and feel as though I’m part of a very strong organisation. The work is very interesting, and there are good prospects for progression. Your career development is mostly in your own hands, and I’ve found Cefas to be an employer that strongly encourages and rewards excellent performance. Sure, I sometimes wish (especially on a windy day in the summer) that I had more time to fly up and down Portland Harbour on my windsurfer, or be at home playing my guitars, but I love the work I do and my work/life balance is as good as I can expect it to be.
If I was asked, "Why Cefas?", I’d say because of the diverse range of skills of its scientists. Not only can you build your own career through the opportunities to produce world–quality publishable science, you also have the ability to get to the heart of what science is needed in our society, and the role that it can play in defining future policies.