Tell us a little bit about your career so far

After my PhD, I worked at a pharmaceutical company called Organon as an assay development scientist.

I worked on assays for various approaches targeting neuropsychiatric disorders but also had a role in determining which novel targets we might want to explore to treat disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia and depression.

The relocation of my husband’s job away from Glasgow meant I had to give up my position, and for 5 years I was a full-time mother to 3 young children. When we returned to Glasgow, I realised that after being away from a research environment for a relatively long period of time, it would be difficult to return and therefore I decided to retrain as a teacher as an alternative career. However, after completing my university qualification and starting as a classroom teacher, I appreciated that this was not going to be a profession that was a good match for my career aspirations.

I left teaching, and following many job applications, I came across the Daphne Jackson Trust and completed my three-year part-time fellowship at what was the CRUK Beatson Institute Drug Discovery Unit, and which has now become CRUK Scotland Institute Cancer Research Horizons. Following the completion of the fellowship, I secured a full-time position at a semi-virtual small pharmaceutical company called Mironid as a senior research scientist exploring therapies for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. I have now been with Mironid for almost 7 years.

What was it like to step back into a research environment after your time away? Was there anything that surprised you?

It was shock to the system returning to the lab having been away from research for what was a total of 9 years.

Technologies move on quickly and I had to adopt a new way of working to adapt. The safety aspects of working in a lab also had to be refreshed. I felt that the skills and knowledge that I’d developed before my career break were almost forgotten – I can still recall how rusty I was at using a pipette for the first time in years!

The therapeutic area that I was exploring was a new one too – it was challenging being part of the CRUK research environment, but I appreciated that it was a unique opportunity working in the Drug Discovery Unit lab. However, the aspect of being back in the research environment that surprised me most was how delighted I felt to be there and how much I had missed it.

Many researchers worry that time away from the lab will affect their confidence, skills and professional networks. What were the biggest challenges you faced when re-entering research?

I was lacking in confidence when I returned to the lab. I felt that I had forgotten most of my technical and transferable skills. Having spent most of my career break looking after my children, I felt that I didn’t have what it took to play a significant role in a research environment.

Juggling my work life balance also came to the fore as I hadn’t had to think about childcare for several years. Arriving in the lab as someone who would require guidance meant asking for help often from many team members – a challenge as I had worked independently for most of my career. I felt there were many obstacles to a successful return in those early weeks.

What was it about the Daphne Jackson Fellowship that made returning to research feel achievable?

There were so many things! The support package that was offered by the Daphne Jackson Trust was invaluable.

From the starting point of writing the research proposal, guidance was there if I needed it. Having a dedicated Fellowship Advisor provided the security of knowing that there was someone at the trust to contact at any point throughout the fellowship if any issues arose. The focussed training courses were tailored to help people in their return to work, and the network of other fellows that I met at these events complemented the support from the DJT employees.

Considering and planning the inclusion of a wide range of relevant techniques as part of the research proposal gave me the best chance to reskill throughout the fellowship. In addition, the process of writing the end of fellowship report – as I didn’t write any research paper during my time at the Drug Discovery Unit – ensured that my scientific writing was refreshed. Being exposed to internal and external seminars played a significant role in understanding novel areas of research within the therapeutic area.

The overall package of the fellowship experience was such that I emerged having confidence in my abilities to continue my research career.

What do you wish employers, funders or fellow researchers better understood about scientists who have taken time away from academia?

My career may be slightly different from the majority of DJT fellows as I have a research background in industry rather than in academia, but a common theme is that taking a break from research for many is not always a choice but is something that is required due to personal circumstances.

Once these have changed, researchers are often eager to return to their career, and those that apply via the DJT scheme are a determined group who want to succeed. It is likely that scientists that have taken time away from their jobs will need some guidance and support when they return to the lab. It would be unrealistic to expect that returners will be able to work independently immediately. However, it is likely that after a short period of time, the returning scientists will be able to make a significant contribution to the research that is being carried out.

What would you say to cancer researchers who are considering a career break, or who are worried that time away from research might close off future opportunities?

Circumstances may dictate that a career break is the right thing to do at a particular point in time. A person’s life situation can make working challenging, and sometime the best and maybe only option might be to temporarily stop. Finding new roles and opportunities can be a challenge at any point in a researcher’s career, and it is likely that returning from a career break will add additional obstacles. However, organisations such as the Daphne Jackson Trust are ideally placed to provide a route back.

A career break does not mean a career end. Successful careers can continue after a pause. Opportunities are there for everyone, and hard work and dedication can lead to success for researchers at any stage in their career.