Kristen   Senior Research Officer             Who do you work for? Mater Medical Research Institute What does your job involve? My research involves designing cancer vaccines which work by teaching a patient’s immune system to recognise and fight its own cancer. I am involved in all aspects of this work from the design of experiments, “hands-on” lab work isolating and studying immune cells from the blood of cancer patients, supervision of staff and students, to the interpreting and reporting of results, attending conferences and exchanging ideas with scientists worldwide. What do you like most about your job? It’s challenging but also rewarding in that the results of our work will hopefully provide better outcomes for cancer patients. I like the variety of actually doing experiments in addition to travel, deskwork and reading up on the latest discoveries. What are the perks of your job? Travel and the opportunity to work overseas What is the most unusual or fun thing you’ve done in your job? Winning the NSW Young Australian of the year award and carrying the Olympic torch for the Sydney 2000 games. What inspired you to choose a career in this area? I always enjoyed science at school and did well at it. I applied for medicine at uni but didn’t get in and enrolled in a science degree with the hope of transferring over to medicine the following year. I ended up really enjoying what I was doing and stuck with the science! How did you get to where you are now? I did a science degree majoring in chemistry and biology. I wasn’t sure what to do with my degree and during my third year I did some voluntary work experience in a lab researching melanoma. I really enjoyed the work and did my honours year in that lab and then stayed on to do a PhD looking at how melanoma spreads throughout the body. I then went to work in London for 3 years on cancer vaccines before moving to Brisbane. Who or what has been an inspiration to you? My parents always encouraged me to work hard and follow my dreams. What’s the best advice you’ve been given? Nothing is impossible. You are only limited by your own imagination and determination. What training/qualifications do you have/need? A science degree with honours and a PhD. What subjects did you study at school? Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English, Ancient history What are your career goals/plans for the future? To run my own lab one day and to make a difference to the lives of cancer patients. What career opportunities are there for people in your field? It is an exciting time to be involved in biomedical research and there are opportunities in different research environments such as universities, hospitals, independent research institutes and biotechnology companies. What is the average starting salary for a graduate? $35-45K
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