A day in the life of.. a NERC Environmental Omics Facility Research Associate

I studied biological sciences at undergraduate level and then switched to an integrated MBiolSci master’s level degree, which was newly available at the time. I have always been interested in microbiology, so I chose to do my dissertation and research project in antimicrobial resistance. I kind of fell into my PhD when applying for research technician roles. I applied for a group working on something I thought was interesting, but once I was there I realised I wanted to pursue with my own research project. My PhD was developing a new mass spectrometry technique and applying it to clinical sample diagnostics.

I work within the metabolomics facility of the NERC Environmental ‘Omics Facilities (NEOF). I use mass spectrometry in metabolite discovery and identification of metabolomic changes between samples, as well as targeted metabolite identification. We can also use vibrational spectroscopy methods for spatial distribution of metabolites. Each year there are two pilot competition calls, where early-career or independent researchers can apply for funding for small-scale projects intended to generate preliminary data to support larger grant or fellowship applications. I manage the environmental projects that we collaborate on, liaise with the other ‘omics facilities on multi-omics projects, design experiments, prepare the samples, analyse them with mass spectrometry techniques, analyse the data and work with the external collaborator in the biological interpretation of the results. The rest of my time is spent working on non-environmental projects, keeping up with literature, writing reports, administrative tasks and sometimes conferences.

If a pilot competition project is in progress, I am usually working with a collaborator to design and optimise the metabolomics pipeline. There is a lot of back and forth with online meetings and email to come up with a robust protocol. Collaborators also visit us for training in metabolomics, so I may be giving hands-on training in the lab, or at a computer doing data analysis. Once we have a protocol and the project has started, a typical day would be in the lab extracting metabolites from samples, or running samples with either liquid chromatography or gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The sample preparation and running usually takes a week or two, with double that needed to process data and analyse the results. So week to week, a typical day can look quite different.

The most important skill is adaptability, as the variety of my work is huge. I have to be able to switch from working on totally different things very quickly. Last week, I was working on a cell line exposed to a drug, and this week, I’m working on fungal metabolites from a symbiotic relationship with seaweeds, for example. The sample types can be very different and often things I’ve never encountered before, so it’s important to be able to work outside of my comfort zone, design and optimise methods quickly. There is help available on the biological systems from collaborators of course, but the actual analysis is down to me. I also have to maintain and fix instrumentation, so it’s good to have a problem-solving mindset. Aside from that, time management, self-motivation, wet lab and skills in data analysis are all important.

The NEOF pilot projects bring in a huge diversity of sample types and expose me to areas of research which I would never otherwise see. I love learning about the wacky things people work on, from volatilome profiles of a salt pan in Botswana as an analogue site for astrobiology applications, to investigating how Antarctic marine creatures are adapting to climate change. My least favourite part is probably the admin work, but it does mix it up and give me a break from lab work, so it’s not all bad.

A project in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Cambridge investigated the micromolecular profiles of Antarctic marine organisms exposed to salinity stress, including the role of osmolytes in stress tolerance. This was a really interesting project because it was looking at the real-world impact of climate change on animals from one of the regions most affected. I’d also never worked with any marine sourced samples before, so it was a new challenge. Since this was one of the NEOF pilot projects, I got involved from the beginning, before sample collection, and saw the project through to completion. We were also able to offer training in multi-omics techniques to the PhD student involved. The data generated from this will produce a nice output, as well as furthering understanding of marine animal homeostasis in the cryosphere.

I struggled trying to find what I wanted to do for a while. I didn’t know if I wanted a career in industry, or in academia. I tried out different positions and liked the defined goals and security in industry, but I liked the project freedom and exploratory feel of academia. Eventually I found a way to kind of do both in facility work.

Obtaining samples from the environment presents lots of challenges for mass spectrometry, as there are so many variables that cannot be controlled, and mass spectrometry is such a sensitive technique. To overcome that, along with the innate metabolic variation between individuals, lots of replication is required, which people don’t immediately realise or may not think is necessary. When we are designing an experiment with a collaborator, we will often have to highlight this and conduct optimisation experiments to determine the effect size before we can proceed. Because of this, it’s best to be consulted before sample collection, so that we can help design the experiment in a robust way -though this is often difficult with samples collected in the field.

I feel connected to the wider environmental science community. Lots of people in the environmental community have not done any metabolomics work and many are only familiar with genomics. It’s rewarding to work with them and extend their research methodology to trial metabolomics as a means to explore the mechanistic or phenotypic basis of genomic results. A lot can be learned from doing metabolomics, and developing new methods for environmental applications furthers the community as a whole, since we publish all of our methods and protocols online.

The University of Liverpool has recently developed a Research and Technical career pathway, aimed at people who do not want to follow the traditional academic progression route. I want to stay here at Liverpool and progress down that path, into a senior technical officer or leadership role, which would be ideal for me as it would allow staying involved in the technical/laboratory work whilst taking on more responsibility.

If you’re someone who enjoys the technical side of science, but would still like to be involved with research, maybe in a core facility, I would recommend looking into the Advanced Bioscience Techniques and Research Facility Management MSc at the University of Liverpool. The course is aimed at equipping graduates with the skills to start on the pathway to become Research Technical Professionals (RTPs). The programme consists of lecture-based content, but with a significant emphasis on spending time in facilities, learning and developing technical skills and knowledge. This would include placements with hands-on training on equipment, data analysis and facility management. Research Technician roles are also a good way into this kind of work, and many universities have now adopted the RTP pathway for recognition and progression, so it’s a good time to start this career.

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