Brad White

Brad found the complementary nature of Psychology and Chemistry a challenge that set him up for demanding lab work in the pharmaceutical industry.

I came to study after a few years of doing temp work and I was focused on where I could get the most challenge and learning. I started off majoring in Psychology with Chemistry and Biology courses on the side, but soon decided on the Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree with a Medicinal Chemistry major. Undertaking a second (conjoint) degree with the BSc left me room in my study plan to include as much Chemistry as I could. Chemistry complemented my Psychology study in terms of learning how the chemistry of the brain works but I most enjoyed the challenge of Chemistry, especially Organic Chemistry.

My role is the testing of starting materials, in-process samples, and finished products as well as quality control of a supply chain of pharmaceutical products, including their packaging and labelling. I love working in a lab, using both my mind and my hands. The days go so fast! We are very busy keeping up with demand at the tail end of a process. The key pressure is that if we don’t test in time everything in the commercial operation is held up, so it is high stakes. However, I can plan my own days to some extent, determining the products that need to get out balanced with other in-process work and equipment calibration.

You may not necessarily need a chemistry or biomedical degree to do the work I do, but there are points of difference the degrees have given me. We learnt the correct in-lab protocols and practices in our Chemistry labs and these skills are useful right from the outset. I am the health and safety representative for my team and health and safety is a huge thing in any lab, especially in a commercial production environment. I had also developed the fine motor skills and ability to handle specialist equipment necessary to keep up with a high-quality output at pace. It is like following a recipe to some extent, but when things go wrong it is the problem-solving abilities that I learnt in my Chemistry studies that help me work it out for myself. I am developing expertise as the trouble-shooter as I am learning more about driving the software that makes the instruments tick. The learning doesn’t stop once you’ve finished your studies.

Update: Brad is currently Associate Research Scientist at the Fonterra Research and Development Centre in Palmerston North.