CHISOM AGHAMELU

Could you give us a background on your education and your path into your STEM Career?

In secondary school, I always enjoyed Maths and Sciences. Understanding Maths came quite naturally to me and I always found Physics, Chemistry and Biology very interesting, so of course, I steered towards Science related areas like Engineering and Health Sciences. When it came to applying for college, I felt that Engineering most suited my personality and my love for hands-on/ practical subjects. I was very happy to be accepted to do Engineering in University College Dublin (UCD).

The first year was general to expose us to the different streams of Engineering available. I found the Chemical Engineering stream fascinating, challenging and flexible, so I chose to specialise in that area.I completed a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering in UCD. During my degrees, I had the opportunity to complete a yearlong Internship in SK Biotek, Ireland.

In college, I knew I had a wide choice of industries I could work in – Pharma, being a prominent industry one in Ireland. I was fortunate to get a Graduate Engineer Role in SK Biotek after graduating and now a Process Engineer role in the same company.

What is involved in your current role? Describe an interesting day in your current position. 

Currently, I am a Process Engineer in the Operations department at SK biotek – a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. As it is a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), working on existing products as well as new products on site is expected. It’s a dynamic role with different day-to-day tasks.

My role involves the preparation, start-up and monitoring of existing and new processes on site, with a focus on the areas of throughput, robustness and yield. If any problems/deviations occur, I would have to investigate to determine a root cause of the problem.

What do you love about your current role? 

I love being on a team with the people I work with. The work environment is positive, friendly and supportive. You can ask questions – to people within your department and in other departments - when you are unsure of something, and can expect a helpful answer. In my department, we are transparent about our workload to ensure that everyone is handling a realistic amount of work. Even while working in this current climate with more people working from home, there is still a strong sense of support from everyone with both work related and outside work issues.

What has been the most surprising element of your job? 

When I started my job, I had expected to only use the knowledge I acquired from my degrees, so I was surprised with all the new things I encountered. I have learnt so much since I started working here and am still learning every day. It’s amazing to see the new skills and knowledge I have acquired from being involved in different tasks while working here.

What has been your most exciting career moment to date?

The most exciting moment to date was when I had the opportunity to lead a step in the manufacturing of a New Product on site. As it was a new product, there was lots of work to do – process documentation to create/ update, line setup on plant to facilitate the process, liaising with different departments to ensure all required actions were completed etc. The support with the campaign was amazing. Working on that project definitely gave me a new confidence in areas where I did not have previous experience. I was also able to develop existing skills.

What kind of other experts do you work with on a day to day basis? 

When working on different processes, I work with a variety of different experts. Some of them include Quality specialists, Environmental/Process safety specialists, Maintenance planners/ technicians, Technical Services Engineers, to name a few.

What do you hope to achieve in the next year in your current position? 

I hope to acquire more process and technical skills. As I continue to work on different campaigns in the different plants we have on site, I will definitely broaden my knowledge of unit operations, process optimisation and operational excellence.

Do you feel that you fit the stereotypical description of a person in your role? 

If ‘stereotypical description’ refers to academic/industry background, then I do think I have the type of academic background sought out for my role. I don’t think there is or there should be a stereotypical physical description of someone in my job or in any job for that matter. Anyone is capable of carrying out a role so long as they have the background knowledge, training or the willingness to be trained up on what they need to know.

If a young person told you that they would like to get into your role, what advice would you give them? 

I’d tell them to be confident and go for it! If you’re in college, work hard, have fun and don’t be afraid to apply for that role. Show initiative, willingness to learn and to try new things and when you get there, don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for help if you need it.

In your opinion, what is the biggest myth about STEM careers? 

I think people might assume that you are limited to the area of STEM you studied, but there are many pathways to different industries. All you need to do is research because STEM careers can be very flexible so you don’t have to be confined to one type of work forever.

Do you believe that there is enough being done to encourage girls to study STEM and pursue STEM careers? 

I think there’s great work being done now to encourage more girls into STEM careers. I remember that when I started college, there were scholarships available for women in STEM courses, which is a great incentive and aid. I know there are even more resources available now. Stories of women in STEM careers like this also help as they give an insight into what to expect and how young girls can get there themselves. It’s amazing to see and speak to more and more young girls going for STEM courses because they’re more than capable of achieving great things. The work to encourage more girls to pursue STEM careers should continue to assure an increase in the number of women to that of men.

Biopharmachem Ireland