Kate O’Connell

Hi. My name is Kate and I'm the Analytical Researcher at Teva's Waterford Site.

I studied industrial biochemistry at the University of Limerick... It is a degree programme which is geared towards the biotechnology industry. It included biochemistry and bioprocess technology modules, as well as analytical science modules.

I was attracted to Waterford as I wanted to gain experience in gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) ... It’s a technique you don’t find in the pharmaceutical industry too often. GC comes under the umbrella of chromatography techniques, which is the process of separating out components of a sample, while MS is a well-established detection technique.

Lots of my friends also worked at Waterford and they kept telling me it was a great place... and the department was quite new, which was exciting. 

The best thing about Waterford is that it’s a very friendly place to work... Everyone seems to know everyone. I also like the variety; my day to day work depends on what stage we’re at with projects but includes document writing and testing. It’s a good mix of office and laboratory work. 

Learning the GC-MS technique has been my biggest achievement since joining Waterford... I like the opportunities Teva offers in terms of the techniques we can use and the amount of training available. There’s a lot more budget and time allocated for training than in other organisations.  

My advice to students thinking of a similar career would be... try to get as much experience as you can and see what you like doing. Find out if you prefer to be in the laboratory or office and try a few places - don’t just settle in the same role for the first few years.