Abigail Joyce

"I most strongly fit with the communicator, coordinator and trainer personality types! In my role I communicate and work with other scientists and teams to integrate different aspects of biology, chemistry and engineering to produce instruments that work. On my project I mostly plan my own experiments and organise my time myself, as well as having to take into account what customers will want from the product I'm developing. I love working across different teams as I love learning from other people's knowledge and expertise- I also love presenting my findings to other people as it gives me the chance to explain what I do in ways lots of different people will understand!"

"At work I mainly work on integrating lots of different aspects of an Illumina product to make sure the final offering works well for our customers. This can involve loads of different interesting science and engineering concepts, as well as sometimes working with robots (which I never thought I'd get chance to do)! I most enjoy learning on the job, getting to plan my own experiments and manage my own time, and getting to push products over the finish line to become available to customers- it makes you feel like you're making a big impact to the important work being done in genetics. "

"Since my A levels I became fascinated with DNA, genetics and inheritance, and when I started my degree in Biomedical Sciences I knew that it was a path I wanted to pursue. I got on the internship programme at Illumina in 2020, where I worked as a laboratory scientist intern and was able to develop new lab skills like sequencing and library prep, as well as developing my teamwork and organisation skills. This helped me successfully finish my final year of my degree and graduate, upon which I applied to Illumina for a permanent position. I was inspired by everyone I met at Illumina as they were all kind and helpful and made me want to return to work here long term."

"Outside of work I love reading, going to the gym and taking part in fitness challenges like Wolf Runs and Tough Mudder! I've recently started outdoor swimming in the Lake District and have definitely caught the bug (and several colds from the temperature!!) but I love being active and going on mini adventures around the UK. "

"At the moment I'm working on an automation project, so my work is fairly balanced between lab and non-lab work. Some days I will spend in the lab, testing methods, running quantification assays or sequencing runs. Other days I will then spend at my desk, either writing new methods to test or analysing the quantification or sequencing data to present to other scientists and teams across the world. "

"After my GCSEs I completed A-levels in Biology, Chemistry and Geography with three A*s, and completed an additional WJEC course in Statistical Problem Solving using Software. Last year I graduated with a first class honours degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Birmingham."