Q: What does your job entail? What do you find exciting about it?

My job involves developing Java web applications that disseminate UniProt’s wealth of protein data to millions of users worldwide every month, so that these very clever people can advance their individual research / task, contribute to science as a whole … and make the world a better place! In my current role, I’m responsible for the effective utilisation of the powerful container orchestrator, Kubernetes, within our talented team. Furthermore, we design and develop the back-end services that underpin the UniProt website. We are really lucky to have a friendly team that looks after and works hard for each other.

The thing that I find exciting when working as part of UniProt is knowing that I am part of an incredibly valuable and globally popular bioscience resource. These days, we all regularly hear in the news about a new drug discovery, or perhaps that part of some biological process is now better understood, and it’s great to know that UniProt is contributing directly towards many of these stories. For example, in March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was in its early stages, UniProt pooled its resources and worked hard to provide a regularly updated Covid-19 specific data release, thereby helping scientists early on and worldwide to discover a bit more about this disease.

Of course, the other thing I love about working as part of UniProt is that it’s just really nice! Our team is very diverse, with a range of backgrounds and from all over the world. Tea time is always good for a chat and a laugh, and we usually have one day a year where we all cook food at home, bring it in and then devour it all together.

Q: What was your background before you joined the team?

I did a B(Sc) in Computer Science and then a PhD in Software Verification at the University of Southampton. After this, I went to do some Post Doctoral research at the University of Surrey, again in the field of Software Verification. I always had a strong desire to contribute to the biosciences, and so by actively looking for roles that fulfil this, I thankfully got a job in the UniProt team.

Q: What do you like about working here?

Other than what I’ve mentioned above, I suppose it’s the idea that we’re all just focused on delivering quality data for the clever scientists out there.

The campus is great too. It’s set in beautiful green surroundings, and there are loads of activities / clubs to join to keep the mind healthy. I used to play in the campus football league, but eventually my knee became a bit too dodgy to continue.

Q: What are some of the most interesting projects you worked on?

I’ve enjoyed more or less all the projects I’ve worked on to be honest, though perhaps that’s because I have worked on a wide range of them over the years. When I first started, I worked on some ORM applications and enjoyed learning about (then alien to me) biological structures and processes. I thoroughly enjoyed contributing to the Open Targets platform, which establishes links between numerous datasets with the goal of helping with drug discovery. Finally, of course, I really enjoy developing web applications for the cloud and all the challenges and rewards that come with it.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who was applying for a similar role?

Just apply. When I first started, I honestly didn’t realise I would like it so much.