Women in Science – Q&A with Sunita Mistry

To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we interviewed Sunita Mistry, Business Development Manager at HistologiX, about her experiences studying and working in science. Sunita shares her insights on choosing a career in science, the role of hands-on experience, and how HistologiX is contributing to the fight against COVID-19.

Sunita Mistry is the Business Development Manager at HistologiX and has worked with us for over 5 years.

It’s critical, therefore, to check if these reactions will happen – whether that’s to identify targets for your monoclonal antibody or to check that your potential treatment doesn’t have unexpected results.

Q: What did you study?

A: I studied Biomedical Science with a placement year in the NHS, then went on to do a Masters in Translational Science (MRes).

Q: What made you choose to study Biomedical Science?

A: I really enjoyed sciences but wasn’t ready to specialise at age 18. Biomedical Sciences was a good in-depth mix of modules that covered my interests, and I decided to specialise later.

Q: Did you always want to be a scientist? 

A: No, I originally wanted to be an artist, but realised when doing my A levels, that I was better at science.

Q: How has your career in science developed over the years?

A: Since I carried out my placement year in 2009, my focus has always been in histology, each subsequent role has been a development of my interest or skills. My first job after completing University was a Biomedical Scientist in the NHS, my current job is Business Development Manager at HistologiX.

Q: What would you say to girls and women considering a career or education in science? 

A: I would say that they should keep an open mind there are so many different types of career paths that you can follow in science. It is important, to follow your interest and develop your skill sets to make the best of your education and the plethora of opportunities out there. As well as an open mind, you need hands-on experience in science these days. Try to get a shadowing, voluntary, or paid placement, then work your way up.

Q: Did anyone influence or inspire you to become a scientist?

A: Nobody specifically influenced me to go into science, my parents always pushed me to study and follow a career path that I was good at and enjoyed, be that art, or science. My earliest memory of a scientific career is going to a ‘take your kids to work day’ with my mum when I was in high school. I really enjoyed going around the Hospital Pathology labs and seeing what that incredible department was doing to help diagnose patients in the community.

Q: How have you helped towards the research and fight against COVID-19? 

A: One of our clients is working on a COVID-19 vaccine. I have helped them to design their tissue cross-reactivity studies which is one of the key vaccine safety assessments that is required before starting clinical trials. We’ve made sure to prioritise their project appropriately to meet the target IND submission dates. It is imperative that we do all we can to fight this pandemic, HistologiX is in a really good position to do that.

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