I work in the Cheminformatics Team lead by Andrew Pannifer. We take large chemical databases and apply data science to them to answer questions about drug-design.
Currently, I’m working on an exciting project with clinical trials and patent data as part of a new grant application.
My background is in the Life Sciences industry, covering mostly structural chemistry and structural biology along with the understanding of chemical and structural activity; I trained as a structural chemist.
I haven’t been at MDC very long, since August 2019, but before this, I worked as a software developer. Now I can use both skill sets while developing new ones to support the SME community. I am always learning new things, not just about programming, but also science and medicinal chemistry; it’s a joy!
I like to combine programming and chemistry: it is a good intellectual challenge. Writing code is a sought-after skill and I wanted to apply it for solving scientific problems that I am interested in.
I was particularly attracted to the Cheminformatics and software development side. My role in Cheminformatics requires both a thorough understanding of chemistry and, of course, the ability to do programming. Luckily, I have both of these skills which makes this job a perfect match for me.
At first, I had several reservations going into programming as it is perceived as a male-dominated field. However, I find that this is a perfect job for women scientists with good logical thinking but without much desire to deal with the physical part of working in the lab. Programming can also offer flexible working; your job can be done anywhere as long as you have a computer.
I am happy about having contributed a few crystal structures to the Protein Data Bank. Now, I am enjoying participating in the analysis on top of providing the data.
I enjoy cooking, reading and watching plenty of movies. My most recent discovery was Neil Gaiman, I like how he mixes reality with fantasy elements in his books.
Because I enjoy reading, I’m excited about MDC’s book exchange. A great chance to get to discover some new writers!
I always look forward to going back home to Budapest for the holidays to meet family and friends, see a play in a theatre, and have some poppy seed pastry rolls.
Preclinical to clinical, building a translational link between in vitro and in vivo models of neuroinflammation for drug discovery.
