Catherine said: “On Friday 17 November, Dr Jonathan Moore gave an inspirational talk about the roles that he had in the biochemistry sector, along with setting up and running some of his own biotech companies. He discussed many fascinating projects that he had worked on during his career, with a particular focus on his business Epitopea; this is a cancer immunotherapeutic company that is in the process of developing drugs to treat cancer. Along with this, Dr Moore explored the key skills that are required in this industry when developing drugs, which include creativity and perseverance. It was very interesting learning about Dr Moore’s career progression and the multiple pathways that he took when establishing his speciality. This was very reassuring to those of us that do not have a specific career goal at this stage.

As someone who has always had an interest in biological sciences, I found Dr Moore’s talk captivating by learning about the exciting new discoveries that could potentially have life changing impacts on society in the future.”

Year 12 student Manuela said: “Dr Jonathan Moore outlined his career path during his inspiring talk, giving us an insight into the life of a biochemist, entrepreneur and CEO. One thing he pushed was to peruse what you love. He took physics and further maths at a level with the set aim of becoming a volcanologist rather than pursuing the subjects he enjoyed and seeing where that led him. He managed to get back to his preferred subject of biology through a biochemistry degree at the University of Bath, showing the flexibility you can have in your career, after choosing what may seem like a fixed path, determined by your A levels.

He also exemplified the importance of following what excites you through describing the rapidly changing pharmaceutical market. It is impossible to predict what the most lucrative medical area will be in the future so it is best to simply research a topic that interests you.

I was struck by the different skills needed to be a scientist on top of a grasp of the theory. Interpersonal skills are necessary to deal with supervisors and co-workers; persuasion is essential to attract funding for business start-ups and creativity, to be able to apply existing knowledge to new problems. One curious example of this innovation was how he worked on a project where African clawed frog eggs were crushed in a centrifuge and the extract was found to form nuclei around DNA that was placed in it. Finally, he highlighted the determination needed to pick yourself up after continual failed experiments and the difficulty of setting up a start up amid a landscape of Goliath biotech companies.”