Photography credits: Greg Moss / Wellcome Sanger Institute
For Biology Week 2023, we are highlighting some of the roles and careers in biology. We asked staff working in cellular genetics at the Sanger Institute to describe their work; from computational genomics, to laboratory management to working with stem cells to understand development.
You can read more about their work below. Visit our careers pages for information about current vacancies or apprenticeships, and you can find out about Biology Week on the Royal Society of Biology's website.
“I am a computational biologist studying childhood leukaemias as well as a medical student training to become a clinician-scientist.
“I use mathematical algorithms to analyse genomic data of leukaemia cells obtained from patients, in order to predict which if these patients will respond well to treatment.
“Biology is a very diverse field. Some biologists, like myself, do not work in a lab or go out to the field. Instead, we are data scientists who crunch gigabytes to terabytes of genomic data.”
Bram Lim,
MB/PhD student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge
Bram Lim
Bram Lim
Bram Lim, MB/PhD student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge
“I am a computational biologist studying childhood leukaemias as well as a medical student training to become a clinician-scientist. I use mathematical algorithms to analyse genomic data of leukaemia cells obtained from patients, in order to predict which if these patients will respond well to treatment. Biology is a very diverse field. Some biologists, like myself, do not work in a lab or go out to the field. Instead, we are data scientists who crunch gigabytes to terabytes of genomic data.”
“I am a genome scientist investigating the placental immune response to pathogens that affect pregnancy.
“My passion lies in unravelling the intricacies of the immune system's behaviour during diseases, utilising cutting-edge high-throughput technologies and single-cell analysis.
“I enjoy doing science in a collaborative environment and I aspire to contribute knowledge that will have an impact on healthcare in the future.”
Elias Ruiz-Morales,
PhD student, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Elias Ruiz-Morales, PhD Student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute
Elias Ruiz-Morales
Elias Ruiz-Morales, PhD Student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute
“I am a genome scientist investigating the placental immune response to pathogens that affect pregnancy.
“My passion lies in unravelling the intricacies of the immune system's behaviour during diseases, utilising cutting-edge high-throughput technologies and single-cell analysis.
“I enjoy doing science in a collaborative environment and I aspire to contribute knowledge that will have an impact on healthcare in the future.”
“I am a molecular biologist working on cell type identification of a range of cancers, preparing patient samples for sequencing. The data this produces will be analysed to identify cell types, their past and their future.
“Knowing where and how a cancer originated, and where it is heading, is an important basis for the development of treatment.”
Sabine Eckert,
Staff Scientist, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Sabine Eckert
Sabine Eckert
Sabine Eckert, Staff scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute
“I am a molecular biologist working on cell type identification of a range of cancers, preparing patient samples for sequencing. The data this produces will be analysed to identify cell types, their past and their future.
“Knowing where and how a cancer originated, and where it is heading, is an important basis for the development of treatments..”
“How do we come to be? How does one cell turn into an ensemble of functional tissues we call the body?
“Having studied developmental biology, I am now harnessing the potential of stem cells to show us the initial cell fate decisions that culminate in the diverse lineages within our bodies.
“Modelling development enables me to better understand disease.”
Freddy Wong,
Staff scientist, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Freddy Wong
Freddy Wong
Freddy Wong, Staff scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute
“How do we come to be? How does one cell turn into an ensemble of functional tissues we call the body?
“Having studied developmental biology, I am now harnessing the potential of stem cells to show us the initial cell fate decisions that culminate in the diverse lineages within our bodies.
“Modelling development enables me to better understand disease.”
“My role is between co-ordinator and laboratory manager. I am involved in logistics, ethics, health and safety, project management, lab work, and more.
“I have been privileged to see first-hand the rapid advancement in sequencing technologies over the years and the exciting insights this has allowed into human health and disease.
“I get to work with a diverse range of people and am lucky to learn from so many brilliant scientists - if you enjoy a challenge and creative problem solving, then a career in biology could be for you.”
Tarryn Porter,
Senior Scientific Manager, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Tarryn Porter
Tarryn Porter
Tarryn Porter, Senior Scientific Manager, Wellcome Sanger Institute
“My role is between co-ordinator and laboratory manager. I am involved in logistics, ethics, health and safety, project management, lab work, and more.
“I have been privileged to see first-hand the rapid advancement in sequencing technologies over the years and the exciting insights this has allowed into human health and disease.
“I get to work with a diverse range of people and am lucky to learn from so many brilliant scientists - if you enjoy a challenge and creative problem solving, then a career in biology could be for you.”
