Analytical Chemist, Wyeth
Brian O'Connor - Analytical Chemist
What have been your main “career decision” milestones so far?
When I was 15, I moved to the United States to live with my father after I completed my Junior Certificate. I always planned on being a doctor of medicine from an early age, and this didn’t change when I got to America.
In the States though, you have to complete an undergraduate degree first. So I chose chemistry, while completing a minor study in biology and maths.
I fell in love with chemistry and switched plans, deciding to go to graduate school in chemistry. I completed my Masters of Science later at the University of California in Los Angeles.
Who most influenced your career direction?
Perhaps the biggest influences in choosing chemistry were my undergraduate professors, Dr Naylor and Bunde.
They both had such a passion for chemistry, which I couldn’t understand at first because I felt that all people hated chemistry or that you couldn’t learn to love such a subject.
Their passion for it rubbed off on me and I too learned to love the subject.
Chemistry is a great subject because everything around you is chemistry. The more you can understand it the more you enjoy it.
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
Yes. Wyeth is a great company to work for and they ensure that employees have a good work/life balance.
I find that I get good time off and I don’t see work interfering with my personal life too much. I also get to travel quite freely and love to hit other spots around Europe.
I’ve been very fortunate at Wyeth to have progressed through several levels since being here, and I am now manager of the raw materials lab after joining as an analyst.
How did you go about getting your current job?
While still living in America I heard that Wyeth were opening a plant in Clondalkin, where I grew up. I was excited about the prospect of actually working in a biotech plant in Clondalkin.
I applied online, then when I moved back to Ireland I went to an assessment centre which also included an interview, some role-playing and aptitude tests. I was called soon after and was told that I’d got the job.
Describe a typical day
My typical day involves taking part in a lot of different meetings with people from around the site. As manager of my area it is important that I am always planning ahead for what new activities may be coming into the group.
Some of the meetings are for this planning while others deal with day-to-day activities in the lab. I talk to my supervisors daily to discuss any issues in the lab.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
Ensuring that we release raw materials in time to keep up with the demands of the production schedule. We essentially have four different manufacturing areas at Grange Castle and each one demands different use of different raw materials.
The raw materials are the ingredients of the drugs and if we do not release them then manufacturing will not proceed,
What are the main challenges?
As in any chemistry lab we have to deal with atypical or out-of-specification results. When these happen, at first you are unsure whether the batch of material in question is of the quality standard expected.
We conduct investigations which at times can be very laborious. Besides this, other main challenges would be to keep the group content with the work they are doing.
It is important that we are all constantly challenging each other to help us learn more about science and develop into more all-rounded scientists.
What’s cool?
The coolest thing about the job is seeing the results when patients take our drugs. The drugs produced at Grange Castle dramatically improve patients’ lives.
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
As an analytical chemist, the best skills I bring to the job are around the use of analytical instrumentation and the interpretation of data from it. Analytical chemistry is important to all of us as it ensures through testing that products from food to medicines are safe for us to consume.
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
Because I didn’t do my Leaving Certificate in Ireland, I didn’t have to make as big choices earlier on in my life. It was when I went to college that I chose the subjects that I wanted to do.
I chose to major in chemistry and to minor in biology as a pre medical school student. In America you have to complete a degree first before you are accepted into medical school.
By my third year of college I fell in love with chemistry and no longer wished to go to med school. It’s funny how it all worked out but I have no regrets – I really enjoy being a chemist.
What is your education to date?
I went to three secondary schools:
Moyle Park College in Clondalkin, where I completed my Junior Cert
Plantation High School, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1 Year)
Hartselle High School, Hartselle, Alabama (2 Years) – High School Diploma
In Tennessee in Maryville College I did a degree in chemistry and then moved to California to the University of California Riverside where I completed my masters in analytical chemistry.
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
Graduate school specifically was where I really learned to understand chemistry. Looking back now, the majority of undergraduate work is an introduction to chemistry.
The subject is so vast that you can only truly learn to understand aspects of it. I chose to be an analytical chemist, and did my initial research on instrumentation, which involved building instruments such as mass spectrometers in grad school.
My courses in analytical chemistry, notably around separation techniques, are still applicable to me today in my function and are most important to me in my job.
What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?
When I was at Amgen I worked in pure research. We were trying to find cures for different types of cancer, arthritis and other uncured illnesses. Knowing you were playing a role in this was very rewarding.
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
As a manager, you have to be a very organised person who knows how to prioritise well. Of utmost importance is that you have good people skills. Nobody wants a boss that is yelling at them.
To get the most out of people you need to have a positive approach and let people know when they are doing well just as when they need to improve. I have a positive outlook on life and I think this all helps.
What is your dream job?
I think if I had all the money in the world I’d probably just stay in school full time. I love to learn. I do learn at my job currently which is very important to me.
I’d love to have a job where I learned about different things all the time. There are not too many like that out there. As scientists we tend to become experts in the area that we studied in.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
Science is a fascinating subject and you truly have to immerse yourself in it. When you do, the rewards are fantastic. It is of course a tough subject but once completed you learn how to solve many problems yourself.
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
- Sound chemistry knowledge
- Good leadership skills
- Good people skills
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?
Any work experience that you can gain in a lab, whether it is for a summer or over a transition year. You have to enjoy your time in the lab, as you will be there for the first few years or throughout your career even.
Not all scientists work in labs. I think that’s a big misunderstanding. But almost all scientists do spend time in there initially, so it is important to spend as much time in there through work experience to see whether this is the type of job that suits you.
