Alumni Interview with Danielle Murphy

Name: Danielle Murphy

Career Position: Lab Scientist/QA Manager

Years spent at KCS: from 2007 to 2013

What were your favourite classes/subjects at KCS: Biology and Chemistry

Best memories of KCS: TY trips to Killary and Barcelona. German exchange in both TY and 5th year which I am still in contact to this day with some of the german students!

Tell us about your academic and career path to date: Studied Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and graduated in 2017. Worked in Janssen for a year as a Sample Management Analyst before deciding to move to Cambridge, UK to work with Illumina as a clinical lab tech, as part of the 100k Genome project (first genetic population project in the world). I was sadly made redundant after this was completed and started working for Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult in Stevenage, UK as a QC Tech in Biosafety Testing. I gained so much experience here as I was given a lot more responsibility with leading projects etc. After a year and a half I decided to move home with Covid and family illness being a big part of that decision. I worked for a couple months in Carbery as a QC analyst but realised working in a food lab was not for me so after 3 months I was back in Janssen again as a Bioassay Analyst this time. This time I only was there for 10 months as I had decided I missed my life in Cambridge! I moved back to Cambridge in 2022 and started as a lab scientist for a start up company called Upfront Diagnostics. I have progressed in my role to become the QA manager and now the Customer Support Manager in preparation of going to market. I've learnt an incredibly amount in the role, have been given so many opportunities, one of which I appeared on and was interviewed by the BBC news. I'm still currently in this role to date.

If you weren't in the job you have, what would you be doing? I think I would definitely still be in Cambridge as I love it here and have made so many new friends and a life for me here but would still be in a science based job

What advice would you give your teenage self? Definitely come out of your shell more and don't be afraid to take some risks as I was nervous about moving to the UK after never having left home before and it was the best decision I have ever made

Who/what has been your biggest influence in education? Having all the science opportunities/resources provided to me by the school