Armando is Lab Manager at A Working Lab Innomedicum at Campus Solna and Flemingsberg, which means he’s facilitating and developing laboratory spaces for our members.
You work as a Lab Manager. What does that mean?
– Broadly speaking, I am facilitating lab spaces for research and development. Here at A Working Lab, this means ensuring that both the private and open labs in our Solna and Flemingsberg spaces are equipped and function in the best possible way. The goal is to make sure that our members always can carry out their work in a successful way in the lab, and this requires a lot of orderly and essential routines.
What does a normal working day look like?
– Every day differs depending on the needs of our members and visitors. I work closely with our Site manager and every morning we meet to go over what’s on for the day. Our communication is key for running both the daily work at AWL, but also for various projects we are involved in with partners and members. About once a week we show the spaces for new companies or startups who are curious to hear more about our offer. Of course, our days also involve some administrational work, which includes preparing new member contracts, checking emails and problem various solving. Obviously, some days include quite a few meetings, both internally with partners and members but also with the other A Working Lab locations in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Umeå.
What’s do you enjoy most with your work?
– I love working closely with our members. We have members who come from all corners of the world, with different professional backgrounds and whose companies are in different stages of development. It is the love for science that brings us together here at A Working Lab.
What are your challenges?
– My biggest challenge is to find time for everything I want to do and develop at A Working Lab. There are so many opportunities here!
Education and previous work:
Armando has a PhD in Chemistry with a focus on biocatalytic organic synthesis and analytical chemistry from University College London. After graduation he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in cancer research (focusing on the synthesis of new drugs, as well as evaluation with both biochemical and cell-based tests) at the University of Oxford and Karolinska Institutet. Prior to working at A Working Lab he worked with hospital chemistry at Karolinska University Hospital with the task of developing, validating and being responsible for new bioanalytical methods based on liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS / MS).
