Profile
Lola Webb
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About Me:
I have recently graduated from university and now live near Cambridge with my boyfriend. I enjoy hiking, reading, catching up with friends and spending time with my cats!!
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I grew up in Essex and attended a state secondary school and sixth form, and then moved further away from home for University. During my time at University I did a placement year (something I would highly recommend) at a pharmaceutical company, in their Immunology department, which made me realise I wanted to be a scientist after graduating!
After I finished University earlier this year, I secured a job near Cambridge (where there are lots of jobs in the life science industry). In my free time I like to go on hikes, and I recently climbed Ben Nevis, the UK’s tallest mountain. I also enjoy reading, especially murder mysteries. I have recently started to enjoy reading Jane Austen’s novels, which I think are hugely inspiring and funny. In my new town, I have just started playing netball with the local team to meet new people!
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My pronouns are:
She/ her
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My Work:
I currently work in a CDMO (contract research and development organisation), in the Immunology department. This means we test medicines that companies are making, to see how much they activate the body’s immune system.
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This involves collecting immune cells from blood that has been donated by volunteers, and setting up assays (experiments that collect a lot of data).
These experiments can then be used to test medicines and molecules to make sure they are safe (they do not activate the immune response to a dangerous level) and effective (they can treat people with diseases).
Setting up these experiments involves a lot of different lab techniques and equipment, for example, some machines that take photos of cells, some that can separate different cell types, and some that can analyse individual cells one by one!
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My Typical Day:
I normally get up, have breakfast, then drive to work. Whilst at work, my day has a lot of variety, with time in the lab, in the office, and in meetings!
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A typical day for me involves getting up and having some cereal before driving to work.
I have recently started this job, so at the moment I am learning a lot! For example, being shown how to do different lab processes, and completing online courses.
Once I have finished my training, a typical day will be mostly in the lab, doing experiments, but also some time in the office looking at the results, attending meetings, and planning the next steps for experiments. I have lunch with my friends and everyone in the office chats about their work as well as their home lives!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would spend the prize money on resources for use by any STEM ambassadors that work for my company (or any other companies in the science park), to make science fun and engaging! For example, science related games including obstacle courses to assemble skeletons or a race to put together the stages of the drug development process.
Spending some of the money on arranging tours of labs or ‘open evenings’ if possible would also be a goal of mine, to show students ‘real-life’ science!
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Education:
I attended a state school in Brentwood, Essex. After finishing my GCSEs, I stayed at the same school for Sixth Form to do A-levels. I then went to the University of Exeter where I studied BSc Biological Sciences with Professional Placement- this course was very broad, with many modules from across the whole subject of Biology.
After my placement year in the field of Immunology, I specialised mostly in Immunology, Cellular Biology and Microbiology. My interest and experience in Immunology throughout University, including during my final year research project, led me to getting my current role!
A placement year during University (normally between 2nd and 3rd year) is something I would highly recommend. I was able to experience life with a full-time job for a year, gaining many transferable skills for after University, and I got paid (which is the case for lots of placements!). Also, it helped me develop lab skills, and confirmed that I would like to be a scientist after graduating!
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Qualifications:
I got 11 GCSEs, including English, Maths and Triple Science. I took 4 A-levels (not necessary, but I enjoyed all my subjects), in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths. I got the grades for my first-choice University, Exeter, where I gained a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences. I got a First at University, but I would say that my placement year experience was much more valuable than my grade in getting me a graduate job.
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Work History:
My first experience was volunteering as a teenager, for example, in charity shops and for a Brownies group. I then got a Saturday job, working in an Opticians, from when I was 16 until I left for University.
During my second year at University, I worked as a Residence Life Mentor, which meant I helped First Year students settle into University life, and I helped plan events such as pizza making and craft evenings for students to meet their peers. I also signed up to work for University Open Days to get some extra money!
I applied for my placement year at GSK during my second year at University, and then worked there full time for 12 months. I was in their Immunology department, which was very useful experience. After completing my final year at University, I applied for a number of lab-based jobs, and I have recently started my new, current role.
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Current Job:
My current job, which I have recently started, is in the Immunology department at Lonza. I help develop assays (experiments which can collect a lot of results) to test drugs made by other companies. This allows us to test if the drugs are safe and effective, by seeing their effect on immune cells.
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Employer:
Lonza is a CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organisation). They help their customers (other companies) to develop and make drugs and medicines which can improve the lives of patients. They are a world-leading CDMO and have a lot of experience, so are very good at making sure that the medicines they help develop are effective and safe. Lonza was established in Switzerland in 1897, and they now have sites across 5 continents, with 19,000 staff members in total!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Positive-attitude immunologist!
What did you want to be after you left school?
At one point I wanted to be an archaeologist! In some ways, scientific research is similar in that you can ‘uncover’ surprising results or gain a deeper understanding of a subject, but in this case, by digging through data that you yourself have collected in the lab! I have always been curious and enjoyed problem solving, and I realised during secondary school that being a scientist would allow me to feed my curiosity and constantly learn, whilst also making a positive impact on people’s lives by contributing to the development of medicines.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I was very rarely in trouble in school, I was quite quiet and just got on with things! Of course, I sometimes made mistakes, but that is how you learn!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
If I wasn’t a scientist, I think I would like to have a job related to history, a subject which I always loved but couldn’t see as clear a career path for. Maybe I would be working in a museum or a historical site!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
My favourite band is Sea Girls, since I saw them perform at a festival last year. I also enjoy listening to Sabrina Carpenter, and of course, Taylor Swift.
What's your favourite food?
My favourite food is banana bread- my Mum has a really good recipe, and I have learnt to make it (almost) as well as her!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. To be able to tick some places off my travel bucket list. 2. To one day get a cat or dog with my boyfriend! 3. To see some world issues be sorted, for example, for nature to be restored and cared for.
Tell us a joke.
What did one DNA strand say to the other? “Stop copying me!”
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