Mariana Zuniga

"Hello, my name is Mariana! I am Mexican but have been living in the UK for almost 10 years now….time flies!I studied a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry-Pharmaceutical Biology back in Mexico and after working as a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) in PPD (that was the name of the Clinical Research Group at Thermo Fisher Scientific back then) for 4 years, the opportunity came to transfer to the UK with my same role.Since secondary school I always knew I wanted to study “something” related to biology and after doing some research I found that this program offered me a taste of different subjects for me to try. I loved every minute of working in a Lab, wearing my Lab coat, using microscopes and pipettes , growing cell cultures and being involved in the Academic environment, however there was always a part of me that wanted to work on something that was more practical and where my efforts had a direct impact on improving a process or the lives of people and that is when I discovered Clinical Research.I would also describe me as having a “green” heart as I’m very invested and concerned about our environment. I try to educate and influence those around me constantly whether it is plogging during a trip to the beach, or attempting to create an Environmental Committee in our office, I’m always looking at ways to make our planet a better place.The “My Skills, My Life” test identified my main attributes as a Coach, Influencer and Trainer which I believe is accurate and I guess one of the main reasons for signing up as a role model and wanting to connect with young girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career."

"I currently work in Thermo Fisher Scientific’s CRG (Clinical Research Group) as a Start-up Team Manager (STM). CRG works on a varied range of clinical trials developing new medicines and vaccines for patients with different indications all over the world. My role is to oversee the set-up of clinical trials and act as point of contact between our clients (Pharmaceutical or Biotech companies) and the local teams who actively work with the Hospitals, Investigators as well as Ethics Committees and Regulatory agencies. Over these past 14 years I have loved working with different groups of people, and learning how to overcome our differences to achieve our goals and ensure we’re working towards improving peoples’ lives in these studies."

"When I started at PPD 14 years ago I started as a Project Assistant supporting mainly administrative task, I then moved onto the CRA role where I was visiting Hospitals all over Mexico and Panama and talking to Investigators about new Clinical Studies which was exciting and very interesting. After moving to the UK I moved onto a line management role for a few years where my job was to look after people in my team and it has been just recent that I decided to move once more onto the STM role."

"I live with my husband and 2 boys, one 5 years old and another 2 who always keep me on my toes! I work Monday to Thursday which gives the opportunity to have a day off during the week to spend some quality time with my little one and take him to swimming lessons and playdates.I love dancing and I really miss my Zumba classes from Mexico, however with the 2 boys it’s hard to have some time off for myself so I make do with a couple of morning jogs and a body pump class here and there. I’m a big foodie and I like to cook as well so I try to cook as many Mexican dishes as well as try new things at every opportunity!"

"Every day I start by checking my emails to see if there are any requests that need my attention and I make a “to-do” list of the tasks I have for the day. I normally have several calls throughout the day using Microsoft Teams that can be with the regional teams to discuss the progress of the studies or with the clients to check with them if we’re on track.I can have a call in the morning with people from Australia, at midday with people from Europe and in the evening with Mexico! So it’s truly a global team!In order to check the progress of the studies at CRG we use many different types of systems so I’m constantly reviewing reports from these systems to identify missing data or discrepancies that I then take to the appropriate people to clarify.Since starting as an STM I became home-based however I truly enjoy popping into the office to meet with people and have a chat over a cuppa! "

"I did a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Pharmaceutical Biology at the UNAM in Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) in 2009. After a year working at PPD in 2010 I completed a Diploma in Monitoring of Clinical Studies also provided by the UNAM.Once in the UK I decided to have more insight into the management role so I completed a Diploma in International Management from the University of Liverpool, in 2016. "