Lab-Ind Resource Sdn. Bhd.
//GeneSeq Sdn. Bhd.
Molecular Genetics Internship
Paid credit internship (3 months). Research in industry.
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Elaine Lee
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn if you have any questions:
Would you recommend your internship to a friend?
Yes. The company has excellent reputation in setting a high benchmark for safety, health and compliance in the food, agriculture and aquaculture industry. Their subsidiary company, GeneSeq is also one of the pioneers for industry-based providers in NGS. The dynamic team at the workplace will also enhanced your learning experience as an intern! Therefore, I would definitely recommend to anyone based in Malaysia, who is interested to learn more about the application of molecular diagnostics in the industry.
What were you looking to gain from your experience?
I was looking forward to uncover the prospects of working in the industry besides discovering my passion and interest in the biotechnology field.
What attracted you to the company you interned with?
The company is keen to help me gain hands-on technical experience as an apprentice by allocating their resources and time.
What was a typical working day like?
Job hours were typically 9am-5pm (Mon-Fri). My tasks were to complete a number of mini-projects requiring lab work. E.g: Optimising PCR-based detection kits for screening of aquatic diseases, designing reproducible protocols for DNA science projects and shadowing professionals to gain exposure in NGS and qPCR technologies.
What did you enjoy about your internship?
I had the chance to network with professionals and interact with amazing people from this company. The company was very welcoming and being mentored by a team of highly skilled professionals in the industry was also a rewarding experience.
What was the most challenging part?
As a student who's had most of my experience in the academia setting, it was challenging for me to bridge the theoretical aspect learnt into the industrial setting. For instance, I had to understand the marketability of a “product” (i.e. the demand, practicality, reproducibility, costing, etc.) before working on its development. Nonetheless, the industry has given me a different perspective where nebulous concepts learnt in degree school can still be implemented and grounded, with the right mindset (i.e. to be more goal-oriented instead of results-oriented).
How did the experience benefit your career?
My experience at the company has provided me insights on working in a biotechnology industry whereby the career opportunities are broader and more flexible, ranging from research to product marketing/development. Training in an industry has given me a platform to leverage my skills and knowledge that I have acquired throughout my undergraduate study years. Additionally, it has given me the opportunity to develop new set of skills and apply them in a workplace. By getting more “hands-on” experience, I was able to better understand the work that was normally emphasised in theory.
What is one advice that you would give to others who are planning to do an internship?
Keep an open mind when pursuing an internship. Be assertive in inquiring questions pertaining to the technical aspects of the industry operations but most of all, don't forget to build fun experiences!
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Which job sector will go into?
Industry