It was in the whirlwind of the notorious covid spring 2020 that I started my journey as a device engineer at Uniogen. The global pandemic lit up the turmoil in the field of in vitro diagnostics and resulted in heavily multiplied production loads. An extra pair of hands was urgently needed. Luckily my background as Master of Science (Tech) in molecular biotechnology and in vitro diagnostics fit the role like a glove and I got to utilize my experience in PCR diagnostics and device development from my previous years as a project researcher at the University of Turku. 

The technical side of diagnostics has always been my thing. In my job I get to combine the best of both worlds—dive deep into the challenges of molecular diagnostics and solve technical issues related to the devices. Officially my assignments as a device engineer comprise of quality assurance, servicing, calibration, and testing of GenomEra CDX analyzers. In reality my role is hugely more dynamic and variable than that.

Each day at Uniogen offers challenging new summons, be it 3D modeling and printing of parts that are needed for increasing our test production capacity or developing and testing novel PCR protocols. Thanks to the impressive growth and development Uniogen has undergone in the past couple of years, the range of possibilities seems to be limitless.

Over the years I’ve worked as an accountant, wages clerk, seamstress, shop assistant, and at a launderette. However, my growing interest in health technology and programming as well as a desire for a steadier employment brought me into the field of software development. My career as a software developer at Uniogen began in May 2021 shortly after graduating as a Bachelor of Engineering in information and communications technology. 

My main task at Uniogen is designing embedded software for plate readers, which in practice means spending countless hours at my computer programming and testing codes I’ve written. I enjoy that there are always new things to study and learn in this role. It is vital to constantly keep in mind that designing a functional code is not enough but it’s also crucial to understand what kind of results the end user is expecting to get. If I mess up an equation, it translates into an erroneous output.

I’m thankful I’ve landed a job that allows me to express myself in a creative way and to combine my passions in health technology and programming, which has been my dream for a good while. Participating in meaningful and important work for people’s health motivates me every day. Also, I have the most amazing colleagues at Uniogen. From the very first day I felt at home and was welcomed into the team with open arms—something I haven’t always experienced in my previous jobs. I also enjoy the flexible nature of the job, which allows me to work at home in the company of my cat.