My name is Zohar, I’m a recent PhD graduate in the field of Microbiology from The Weizmann Institute of Science. I focused on communication between viruses. I found out that viruses can use short peptides for communication (the same way as some bacteria), to help them decide whether to replicate and lyse their host or to lysogenize and keep the host viable. My research focused on viruses that infect bacteria (Bacteriophages). It was the first discovery that viruses, which aren’t considered living creatures, are capable of such communication.
Why did you choose to work at an ELN company such as BioData?
After my PhD, I had some realisations about how I wanted my career to continue. I loved the theoretical side of research — understanding how things work, having discussions about potential models based on the data we have — but I understood that hands-on research on the bench was not for me. However, I still wanted a job where I could use my scientific knowledge.
I found out about Biodata by one of its employees, which I got to know by chance in a facebook group, after asking about potential career routes for after the PhD. She was so kind: she told me all about her path after the PhD and helped me a lot. Once a position was opened at Biodata, she reached out to me and suggested that I apply, and the rest is history.
By working in an ELN company, my background allows me to advance the world of research: I know what researchers want and need, and I can help them get those things.
What do you do in your job?
I’m an Application Scientist. In my team, our highest priority is to help our customers get the most out of the ELN. We make sure that the implementation process of Labguru goes smoothly, that they know how to get the best out of the system and to answer their challenges. We answer their questions, from technical issues to personalized customization of the lab management systems.
My schedule is quite flexible, and apart from holding meetings with customers, giving product demos and trainings, I also get to work on specialized projects.
Tell me about a project you’ve been involved in recently.
Each Application Scientist heads a scientific field and masters everything that is related to this field. For example, I manage the NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) field in BioData. In this project, I research the needs of scientists performing NGS processes and how Labguru ELN can answer their specific challenges. Recently, I ran a survey among NGS scientists, which produced interesting results regarding lab management and research data management in the NGS field. The issues that were raised by scientists in this survey helped me understand how to best customise Labguru to fit their needs. Following that, I held an NGS webinar in which I explained how to use Labguru to simplify NGS procedures and make them more efficient based on that customization. We also plan to have another webinar on NGS soon, but this time with a collaboration with AWS — stay tuned for updates!
I like doing these projects because they have added value — I can create something new and interesting and help advance the most innovative fields of science.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
One of my passions is baking. I’m currently developing a website for recipes in my free time. I also love crafting in paper and painting.
Anything else?
I really believe in Labguru. I think it is an extremely important tool. I worked in a lab for many years, and always used paper lab notebooks and simple tools such as excel sheets for sample management. Having a tool that enables to easily document, link and track data and samples could have been very helpful. I think Labguru is an incredible tool with wonderful features, and it can really help laboratories manage research information in an organized and convenient way. Using an ELN helps you improve your scientific project management by arranging everything in folders and projects, and you can always go back and know exactly what you did, when, how and why.
To learn more about how Labguru lab manager software can help you, click here:
