Nathalie Meier-Allard
Even at school, Nathalie Meier was very interested in the three subjects of medicine, chemistry and biology.
Key data
Job description: Biomedical analyst
Company: Medical University of Graz, Institute of Pathophysiology and Immunology
I work in: Graz, Austria
I’ve worked here since: 18 May 2008
My contact
What I do
- Gene expression analyses (RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, qPCR)
- Determining immunological status using FACS
- Student training
Why I love my job:
- The challenge of establishing new things
- The variety offered by new projects
- Independent working
Important skills in my job:
- Frustration tolerance
- Curiosity
- Common sense
My biggest accomplishment so far:
One moment I was very proud of was the nomination of a student who had completed an internship at our institute under my supervision and whose final thesis was recognised as one of the top three in Austria.
How I found my current job:
The vacancy was advertised and I was already familiar with the institute from my training. The interview was one of the most exciting I have ever experienced in my career, despite the fact that there were over 10 people sitting opposite me and interviewing me. The time passed so quickly and the following interviews ended up being significantly delayed!
What I learned for this job during my studies:
During the training, you learn all about clean working. This ranges from labelling the vials to leaving the workplace clean and tidy. I am very pleased that we learned to take blood samples from veins because it enables me take samples quickly when we need a sample of fresh blood.
Job prospects in my field:
I can honestly say that I was very lucky to land a permanent job. But in general, the job opportunities are very good. They might not always be full-time positions and they are often maternity cover posts but the important thing is to acquire professional experience from the outset!
I am:
- determined
- adaptable
- reliable
About my job:
I love my job and my post. It brings together three subjects which were important to me even back during my time at school: medicine, chemistry and biology. You can also gain practical work experience throughout your career. A lot of work takes place at the computer, for example, assessing experiments and operating large equipment such as FACS. Variety comes with each new project in research. This is both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, it never gets boring but on the other, new methods do not work straight away and lots of testing is required to reach the desired goal. When asked what my job is, I say ‘biomedical analyst’ but I often have to explain it in more detail. My favourite description is: a worker bee in a lab with a brain!
Impressions of Nathalie Meier-Allard‘s day-to-day work.
