Oxford scientist ‘proud to be part of virus vaccine project’
INDIA-BORN MANAGER URGES MORE YOUNG WOMEN TO TAKE UP CAREER IN BIOSCIENCE
AN ASIAN scientist, who is part of a team of Oxford University professionals on a project to find a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus, has said she feels honoured to be a part of a humanitarian cause, with the world’s hopes attached to the outcome.
Chandrabali Datta, who was born in Kolkata, India, works in the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility at the university’s Jenner Institute. It is where phases two and three of human trials of the vaccine named ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 are being held in the race against the deadly virus.
As a quality assurance manager, 34-year-old Datta ensures all levels of compliance are met before the vaccine can progress to the trial stage.. “We are all hoping that it works in the next stage; the whole world is looking to this vaccine,” she said.
“It’s like a humanitarian cause to be a part of this project. We are a non-profit organisation, putting in extra hours every day just to make this vaccine successful, so that human lives can be saved. It is a massive team effort and everyone has worked around the clock towards its success. I feel honoured to be a part of this project.”
While she acknowledged her “close knit” team of 25 experts on the production side of the vaccine is gender balanced, Datta is keen to encourage young girls in India to challenge a perceived male dominance in bioscience.
“If you are motivated and up for a challenge, then this is your field. Nowadays, biotech and pharma are getting an equal male-female ratio, so there are a lot of opportunities,” she said.
However, she cautioned that “the scientific field is not highly paid, so you have to get rid of your materialistic desires if you want to be successful in this field.
“But if your motivation is really high and you are up for the struggle, then this is a very rewarding area of work.
“There is lots of recognition for your hard work because at the end of the day you are improving human lives.”
Datta, who studied engineering and biotechnology in Kolkata, said she was drawn to biology and mathematics as a child. She later studied computer science and worked as an associate software engineer with Accenture in India, but was pulled back to biotech because of its “evolving and inventive” potential.
“My childhood friend was studying in Nottingham, who inspired me, and the UK is known for equal rights, women’s rights. So, I chose to do my masters in biotech from the University of Leeds,” she said.
“It has been a real struggle – leaving India and coming here. My mother wasn’t too happy about her only child moving countries to study. But my father has always been ambitious for me and said I should chase my dreams and not compromise.”
While studying in the UK, Datta juggled shifts at the supermarket and pizza restaurants with her laboratory experiments in order to cover living costs.
She completed her degree, but jobs were hard come by.
Datta recalled: “I would finish my lab project and quickly run to Tesco to do evening shifts from 6.30pm to midnight. By the time I got home, I didn’t even have time to eat, I would fall asleep. I would sleep only three hours a day.
“Getting a job wasn’t easy without industry experience. Many of my peers went the PhD route, but I wanted to be in the industry. A lot of my friends gave up and returned to India. But I refused to give up,” she said.
Her persistence paid off when she got a job at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline as an R&D scientist, working on developing inhalers. She moved up the ranks quickly and switched to her current job at Oxford University about a year ago.
“I have to make sure that all our departments are compliant, everyone is trained in whatever they are doing and following all standard operating procedures (SOPs). Particularly in this project, my contribution is to check that everything is compliant, SOPs are followed, no mistakes were made,” she explained.
Working through the lockdown as a key worker on the frontlines of the pandemic left her parents back in Kolkata concerned for her safety. “My parents were really worried and paranoid about me going in to work during this crisis. But I had to help my team. Everyone is under stress, given the pandemic, and we supported each other through this crisis period. Whenever someone was struggling, there were people around to help,” she said.
Datta stays in touch with family and friends in India through regular WhatsApp calls and hopes to visit her parents for her annual Christmas break this year.
“We have never seen a pandemic like this,” she said. “We used to read in history but never imagined in the 21st century we will see such a pandemic which means we have to be locked in our houses for months. (PTI)