Laboratory managers wear lots of different hats, from managing space and resources, ensuring safety protocols are in place, and maintaining biological, chemical and equipment databases.
Hear from Dr Katherine ‘Kittie’ Ansbro on her role as a laboratory manager at the IOI.
What are your responsibilities as a lab manager? Or would it be easier to ask what aren’t!
I definitely feel I wear a lot of hats in this role! Most importantly, the lab management team here at the IOI (myself and the Assistant Lab Manager Alisha) are the point of reference for all things lab related. This includes the group members but also includes visitors, engineers and people from other research, IT, admin, finance, and Facilities outside of our group.
We ensure everyone is working safely in the lab, but we are also there to make sure all the researchers can carry out their experiments effectively in the lab itself. This means managing the space but also ensuring we have the reagents and consumables needed for the group’s research, and that any breakdowns in equipment for example are resolved as soon as possible.
What are some challenges you face in your role?
Our group is fast growing, we have nearly doubled in size over the last year, so we are now spread across three separate lab spaces and two different buildings. This means it can be a challenge to be at different places whilst also dealing with several time-sensitive queries at once.
How has your career journey led to you becoming a lab manager?
My route to becoming a lab manager has probably been a bit unusual. My background has always been in microbiology so it’s relevant to the research we do here at the IOI. I worked as a Research Assistant at Queen Mary University of London after completing my Masters. I then completed my PhD at the University of Sheffield but took some time off from this and was employed as a lab supervisor in the Milton Keynes COVID-19 testing lab for around year.
I feel it’s a combination of all my experiences from the different positions that led me to this role, and it is rewarding to draw on my varied experiences to support the IOI microbiology team.
How does your work contribute to the IOI’s research?
I feel my job is to support the researchers by ensuring the lab they work in is optimal and safe for their work. Hopefully it means they can fully focus on the research itself!
I also lead a great team of laboratory technicians who support the efficient running of the labs by maintaining equipment, helping with experiments, and generally supporting all the research that goes on at the IOI.
What are you looking forward to this year at the IOI?
We are currently planning our move to the new Life and Mind Building (LaMB) so I’m looking forward to facilitating our transfer across– although our new home is only a short trip across the road it will require lots of work to ensure a smooth transition!
This involves having input to the design of our new lab space, ensuring everything we need to carry out our work is set up ready for us to arrive and get stuck into research. Our move to the LaMB will mark the next step of the IOI’s journey at the University of Oxford. I’m excited for us to settle into our new space and continue to build our community of researchers.
What is the best part of your day?
I like the variety in my job and the different people I interact with – from researchers, colleagues in stores, finance and project management. The day-to-day is always very varied because people will come to me with different queries, but the consistency as a whole keeps me happy.