Obsessed with Australian zookeeper and ‘The Crocodile Hunter’, Steve Irwin, Amy Kerry has had a passion and interest in animals since childhood, and always knew deep down that she would follow a career in science. In our latest blog in the ‘Meet the Team’ series, we hear about Amy’s career that has brought her to Cellomatics where she is now a BioAssay Study Scientist.
Amy studied Zoology at Liverpool John Moores University where she was able to expand her scientific knowledge into genetics and neurobiology, with her dissertation incorporating both biology and her interest in animals. She graduated in 2017 and took a few months out before moving to the University of Nottingham to pursue an MRes in Molecular Biology.
Amy had developed an ongoing interest in the clinical application of animal venoms, and she was able to find a supervisor studying centipede venom and its therapeutical potential with pain disorders. Amy was involved in studying centipede venom on cell lines.
In 2019, Amy completed her MRes and began looking for a job, and secured a position at Nottingham-based Clinical Research Organisation. Her role there involved studies in Phase I and II clinical trials working with healthy volunteers and getting the drug into the clinic.
“I enjoyed being part of the process of getting the drug into the clinic, and being part of that process, it was very interesting. However, I knew I wanted to be back in the lab.”
Amy moved to a Nottingham-based CRO, where she worked for just over a year, before applying to Cellomatics.
In August 2021, Amy joined Cellomatics as Bioassay Study Scientist.
“Cellomatics is really helping me to focus my interests on the research areas of immunology and inflammation. I tend to work on many projects in these areas which is great as I am keen to focus and specialise. I get to work on a variety of projects and am learning lots of different techniques with different types of cells. This breadth of experience is fantastic, there are not many places where you get this level of exposure to so many different aspects of the job.”
Reflecting on the team and culture at Cellomatics, Amy says, “The team is amazing. We are all very hands-on and supportive and there is a real culture of teamwork. It’s a great company and I love being part of the team.”
Cellomatics offers exciting career prospects and opportunities for scientists looking to join the team. To find out more about current vacancies, click here.
