Esther Odekunle

"My moment where I connected with science was strangely through an acronym. From memory, the acronym, MRS NERG (Movement, Reproduction, Sensitivity, Nutrition, Excretion, Respiration, Growth), helped me learn what made something a living organism, and from there I didn’t look back!"

"transitioning from academia to the pharmaceutical industry was difficult. I didn’t have any industry experience before applying, and while I knew I had technical and transferrable skills to be an asset to many companies, it took a monumental amount of effort and interviews to convince anyone to give me a chance. Adjusting my CV so that it was more tailored towards industry rather than academia was crucial during this stage."

"There are so many great parts to the job, but one of the best parts is getting to learn about different diseases, and then be involved in developing antibodies that could one day become medicines to fight these diseases."

"If you’re on the fence about a career in the sciences, my biggest piece of advice is you won’t know unless you try. If there are opportunities to find out more about what STEM professionals do, go for it! It may help you decide if a career in STEM is right for you."