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Rebecca

Laboratory Technician, Biotoxins, Weymouth

My work covers the whole of the Marine Algal Biotoxin unit, from chemical analysis of three different types of toxins (ASP, DSP and PSP), to analytical chemistry, wet chemistry with reagents or general housekeeping. I’ve been at Cefas for over five years, and I feel that my colleagues often look to me for support or advice while they’re learning and developing their skills and techniques.

I’ve lived in Weymouth all my life, so this job was a perfect opportunity to remain in an area that I love. I’m very enthusiastic about marine ecosystems, and I’m pleased the job has enabled me to gain experience in working with marine organisms. I particularly like that Weymouth offers a beautiful window into a World Heritage Site along Dorset's a Jurassic coastline. It’s ecologically and environmentally attractive, with pleasant waterways and beaches.

My day can bring surprises. When the post is delivered, we may have 5–10 samples (on a quiet day) or 20–30 samples (on a busy day). These samples are from local authorities all over England, Wales and Scotland and are extracted for testing throughout the day. My team thrives on this variety and on teamwork. A lot of the work is chemistry based, from measuring and weighing chemicals to making reagents. Other work needs analytical skills to use High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) or Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS) instruments.

Since joining Cefas I’ve had the chance to develop and gain a multitude of valuable skills. Some of these are IT skills or analytical techniques for chemical analysis. More importantly, I’ve developed knowledge in the use of highly specialised analytical equipment. I like to make the most of the excellent benefits that Cefas offers. These benefits include a good pension scheme, flexi–time and a generous annual leave on top of privilege days. Another perk that is worth mentioning is the great mix of people at Cefas, which in turn leads to a great work and social life.

Cefas often aim to develop your career in terms of giving you the chance to learn about general employment and personal skills such as time management, stress management, IT and so on. It makes for a varied working life and an enjoyable experience.