The transition from university life to industry can be a daunting experience for many, which is why BioAscent works hard to make this experience as smooth as possible. As a people business, employing the best people is one of our highest priorities. Whilst the majority of our staff are highly experienced in industry, our rapidly expanding team also includes a number of recent graduates with exceptional potential.

In this blog, we hear from Dr Jonathan Curle and Dr Abigail Norman who recently completed their PhD studies and decided to start their career journey with BioAscent.

Abigail initially studied MChem Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Newcastle, before completing her PhD on the design and synthesis of mitochondria-targeted small molecule probes for the investigation of mitochondrial protein expression and post-translational modifications at the University of Glasgow. Jonathan obtained his MSci Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry degree at the University of Glasgow before completing his PhD at the University of Strathclyde on developing new metal-free methodologies for the oxyamination of alkenes.

Jonathan joined BioAscent's chemistry team in December 2020 and Abigail joined shortly after in May 2021. For both Jonathan and Abigail this is their first industry role, however, the wide range of transferrable skills and knowledge gained from their time at university has allowed them to quickly flourish within their roles at BioAscent.

At BioAscent, we are proud to be a significant part of the drug discovery community within Scotland. Our highly skilled and experienced team, along with our wide range of capabilities, allow us to offer both standalone and integrated drug discovery projects, ensuring we work effectively with our global customer base to maximise their drug discovery success.

BioAscent's scientist, Dr Jonathan Curle says: "In the short time I have been here I have already felt the motivation and sense of accomplishment that comes from working with our chemistry team and in collaboration with our partners. I feel the experience of both my undergrad and postgrad career has prepared me well to contribute to the work at BioAscent, as well as having that support to continue to learn from those around me, working alongside experts in the industry."

Dr Abigail Norman adds: "Nearing the end of my PhD, I found that whilst I enjoyed working in a synthetic organic chemistry laboratory and towards interdisciplinary projects, I wasn't certain that a career in academia was for me. As a Contract Research Organsiation, BioAscent offers the opportunity to reach out into an industrial-based setting whilst using the skills that I have developed over my time in academia. I found that by moving into industry with BioAscent, I not only had an improved work-life balance in comparison to what is expected from academic positions but as the company is not concentrating on publications, you really do get to focus on the laboratory work that you signed up for."

BioAscent is passionate about developing the scientists of the future and working alongside our highly experienced scientists allows early-career scientists to benefit from access to a broad range of projects, and to develop additional skills and expertise. Graduates are valued members of our team and we look forward to seeing our new chemists excel in their roles. To find out more about careers at BioAscent, click here.