Profile
Joe Johnson
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About Me:
Hey! I’m Joe – I’m a pharmaceutical scientist and I live and work in North West England. When I’m not in the lab, I love cooking, walking the dog and DIY!
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I’m 27 and I grew up in Crewe, Cheshire. I’ve always enjoyed playing & watching football, cooking, and socialising with my friends. But since I was little, I’ve always loved science. Whether it has been taking things apart to see how they work… science projects at school… fixing my bike… building my own radio or robot… or trying to apply science to everyday things. I took sciencey A-levels and I chose to study Forensic Science at Liverpool John Moores University – I loved every minute of it. Since I graduated in 2018 I have been working in pharmaceuticals and spend my days coming up with new ways to test the safety of needles, syringes, spring loaded injectors, smart computer injectors…. the list goes on!
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In my role as a R&D Device Scientists, I think of new ways to test drug delivery systems (medical devices) that can be found in hospitals, doctor’s surgeries, and patient’s homes. I have to develop equipment, write computer programmes and author protocols & reports to document that products are safe and effective. My work is submitted to authorities all over the world like the FDA, the EMA, or the MHRA and it is all reviewed by experts before the products can be approved for human use. I’ve been doing this work for about 4 years now, but before then, I worked at international chemical/industrial businesses like power stations, fertiliser sites and chemical sites.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up at 6am and usually get to work at around 8am. I live about an hour away from the office, so it gives me about an hour to take the dog for her walk! I spend half of the day in the lab developing new ways to test our products to make sure they’re safe and working correctly. The other half is spent at my desk writing reports or planning in work for the future. I usually get home around 5:30 and spend the evening with my partner, my dog and, ideally, lots of food!
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At 6am I take my dog Nelly for her walk – we usually walk down to the river about 10 minutes away from the house, and she gets to run around a lot before breakfast! Once I’m at work and in the lab, I will assess new devices and work out new ways to test them. This might involve modifying equipment we already have to fit the new product (CAD drawing and computer programming is common here!), or it might mean buying new equipment and getting it set up in the lab. We test pretty much everything you can think of when it comes to a new product… Will it be damaged if it gets shipped in an aeroplane? Should it be stored in the fridge or a cupboard? Will it still work if you drop it? These are all really important points to consider when making products which will be used by patients all over the world!
There is a lot of planning to do and as a Subject Matter Expert, I’m required to give my opinion on the safety and effectiveness of new products.
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Education:
I went to school in Crewe, Cheshire (North West England). I loved school, I got decent grades (not amazing) and I’m still friends with people from primary and secondary school even though we have spread out all over the world.
I went to a sixth form college in Northwich, Cheshire (North West England) and did AS-Level Maths, Chemistry, Biology, German and ICT. I was really disappointed with my grades – I got C’s and D’s but I can’t remember what in! I met some good friends there but I don’t think the exams suited me. When I got my grades I didn’t know what to do… should I go to university or not? Should I do an apprenticeship somewhere? it was a really hard decision but I had to go with my gut.
I got into University on a Foundation Degree in Natural Sciences, and got good marks in my assignments – the university exams suited me much better as they are very different from A-Levels! I moved on to a Bachelor’s degree with honours in Forensic Science, and I managed to get a First Class at the end.
Four years on from my graduation, I’m now starting a Master’s degree in Engineering Management, and hope that this will help me gain some knowledge about finance/new technology/management techniques and other really important things to manage big projects in the future!
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Qualifications:
High School (Crewe, Cheshire)
GCSE: 3A*, 8A, 2B
Sixth Form (Northwich, Cheshire)
AS Level: Maths
A Level: German, ICT, Chemistry, Biology
University (Liverpool John Moores University)
Natural Science Foundation Degree (PASS)
Forensic Science BSc. (hons) (1st Class)
AT PRESENT (studying outside of work):
Master’s Degree Qualification
Engineering Management MSc. – University of Leeds
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Work History:
Age 15-23
Engineering Company in Crewe, Cheshire (UK)
I worked all over the country going to different industrial sites. I was initially a labourer, but by the end I was performing maintenance on huge chemical process sites. It could be a very dangerous job so safety was very important! I left this job when I graduated from university, and started my first lab job.
Age 23 (In my final year at university)
Industrial Laboratory Placement (CF Fertilisers, Chester, UK)
In my final year at university I set up a LinkedIn account and scoured it looking for people that worked at big industrial companies in the North West. I emailed about 25 different people from different businesses (Eon, EDF, INEOS, Air Liquide etc.) to try and get a placement to see how a real-life lab works. One company, CF Fertilisers, got back to me and let me have a 2 week placement in the Easter break. This was an amazing opportunity to see the day-to-day operations of a lab, and it still get’s brought up to me in job interviews today!
Age 23-25 (After I graduated)
Smithers Medical Device Testing
I moved on to my first lab job after my graduation. This is where I started testing medical devices on behalf of big pharma clients. This provided me with some great training and I could find my feet in the lab. I left after 2 years when I felt that I wanted to have more responsibility and was more involved in the development process.
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Current Job:
Age 25-present
Teva Pharmaceuticals
In my current role, I work on the development of new products and I’m involved in multiple projects at once. It’s a very complex and busy job, but I’m really enjoying it so far and still learning more every day!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Scientist & Food-Lover
What did you want to be after you left school?
Either an Engineer or a Scientist
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No Comment :)
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Skepta or Notorious BIG
What's your favourite food?
Probably a curry, but there's not a lot I don't like!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I'd wish for Arsenal to win something (anything); that I could eat all day and never get full; and that I never need to sleep again (so I can eat at night as well)
Tell us a joke.
Most people are shocked when they find out how bad I am as an electrician.
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