Jing’s journey to SPT Labtech
Jing completed her PhD in Shanghai, followed by postdoctoral research at a university clinic. There, she studied receptor tyrosine kinases and their role in leukaemia and hematopoietic stem cells. While she acknowledges that this was an interesting topic to study, the work felt too narrowly focused for her tastes.
Transitioning to biotech, she had the opportunity to work on larger-scale screening experiments, which provided a clearer view of how her efforts made an impact. Alongside this, she led a voluntary special interest group, organizing talks on the latest technology and applications. This sparked her passion for communicating science. Becoming an FAS was a natural progression, combining her love for technology, teaching, and collaboration.
What does a Field Application Scientist do?
Being a Field Applications Scientist at SPT Labtech is like being an ambassador, bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and the researchers who use it. Jing’s primary responsibility is helping users unlock the full potential of SPT Labtech’s instruments, by providing essential training and applications development support based on specific lab needs.
Jing works with customers across Europe, with much of her focus on firefly. firefly's all-in-one liquid handling capabilities make it an ideal platform for genomics workflows such as NGS and PCR setup, but Jing has been delighted to see labs apply the technology into other areas like cell-based assays, assay development, and immunology workflows.
Looking ahead, Jing is excited to broaden her expertise and work more extensively with the full portfolio of SPT Labtech automation.
Day-to-day
A lot of Jing’s time is spent travelling to meet with customers on-site, providing instrument training and demonstrations, helping end-users understand how automation can best fit into their lab setup to provide the most benefits.
When she’s not travelling, Jing’s schedule is much more flexible, allowing time to share updates with the team, prepare for upcoming projects and continue to develop her knowledge in new applications.
Best part of the role
For Jing, the best part of being an FAS is collaborating with scientists across a wide range of disciplines. It’s rewarding to see how different users can tailor the technology to their unique challenges.
Jing’s first use of automation was using semi-automated handheld pipettes, which she admits are a far cry from the capabilities of the SPT Labtech portfolio. With memories of performing time-consuming protocols like bead clean-ups by hand, she feels lucky to show scientists how much easier their work in the lab can be.
Building on her background in cellular and molecular biology, this role has allowed Jing to expand her scientific knowledge and skillset while helping others. Each day brings new opportunities to learn, grow, and provide even better support to customers.
Outside of work?
Jing has an active lifestyle and a wide array of hobbies, although finding time for them can be a challenge! A long-time badminton enthusiast, she’s recently returned to playing weekly after a five-year break. This year, she also started Zumba as a fun and energetic way to stay fit.
Cooking is another passion, offering her a chance to unwind and recharge. She finds that it’s almost like meditation, giving her a way to switch off and take time for herself between her busy schedule.
