CAREERS: Take a peep through my microscope

Caroline Wanjiku is an analytical chemist at ICIPE.PHOTO| ROSE ONDENGO

What you need to know:

  • Wanjiku graduated from Kenyatta University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Zoology in 2009, but it was not immediately clear what career path she would follow.
  • On graduation, Cooper Kenya Ltd; a producer of animal pharmaceutical products, where she had earlier interned, offered her employment in research and development in their quality control department.
  • It was here that she was introduced to pharmaceutical product development.

Caroline Wanjiku, 31, looks nothing like your stereotypical scientist, one holding a beaker in hand, swirling a coloured liquid, hair in dissary due to the demanding and engrossing nature of a scientist’s work.

She’s your typical girl next door, but one in an untypical career. Wanjiku is an analytical chemist. She works at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) She is also a PhD student. ICIPE is an international scientific research institute based in Kenya, which works towards improving the lives and livelihoods of Africans.

Wanjiku is an internationally published researcher; her Masters thesis on the unique relationship between the African Weaver bird and cashew tree and its impact, was published in the 2014 international peer reviewed Journal of Chemical Ecology.

For the average person, this may not sound very exciting, but it is this kind of ground-breaking scientific research that ensures that our crops and ecosystem remain safe and sustainable.

Wanjiku graduated from Kenyatta University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Zoology in 2009, but it was not immediately clear what career path she would follow. On graduation, Cooper Kenya Ltd; a producer of animal pharmaceutical products, where she had earlier interned, offered her employment in research and development in their quality control department.

It was here that she was introduced to pharmaceutical product development.

A year later, in August 2010, Wanjiku felt the need to expand her knowledge, and returned to Kenyatta University to study her Masters in biochemistry.  As part of her thesis, she sought a research project opportunity outside of the university.

After six months of searching, Wanjiku finally found ICIPE, where she was offered a fellowship which yielded her ground-breaking published research. During the gap year following the submission of her Masters thesis in 2013, Wanjiku was offered a job as a research assistant on a new Malaria research project at ICIPE in Western Kenya.

It is here that she contracted malaria for the first time, while working on the project. This experience drew her interest to research more extensively on mosquitoes.

 

What is the difference between biochemistry and analytical chemistry?

Biochemistry helps you answer questions such as, “What happens when you eat a piece of ugali?” (She chuckles).

It helps you understand all those processes; from the whole organism to tissues, then to the cells and finally to the intracellular space. Analytical chemistry however is more like a tool that helps you determine what components make up these processes but can also be used to tell you the chemical nature of non-living matter.

 

Where is analytical chemistry used?

It is through the work of analytical chemists that industries across the world are able to convert raw materials such as oils, natural gas, water and minerals into tens of thousands of products. This ranges from cosmetics, textiles, petroleum, paper, medication and so on.

 

What’s an average day like for you?

I get to the office at 8.30 am, go through my work emails, work on my experiments, and review any data from any chemical samples that I am analysing. I spend a few hours researching scientific journals; literature and news in my area of mosquito research, and write my PhD proposals. I normally leave the office around 7.30pm.

 

How can one become an analytical scientist?

There are many routes. You can study it as a degree course in university and go straight into the field where analytical chemistry is needed. If you prefer research, you need more than just your training in analytical chemistry; you are compelled to explore more areas of science such as biology. The reality is that there are many analytical chemists trained, but very few get to the job market.

 

Why is that?

There is no link between the theoretical learning our universities offer and the practical application of this knowledge in the field. The market and the opportunities are also relatively few.

 

How do you earn an income as a PhD student on a fellowship?

It depends on the fellowship. A complete fellowship caters for accommodation, upkeep and the cost of your research, as well as a stipend. Research becomes your full time job.

The general stipend for Masters students is about Sh51,700 per month. For PhD students, the stipend goes up: from Sh82,720 per month upwards. For one with a PhD, the income averages from Sh259,000 upwards. That said, pay varies depending on the research institute. Also, in the corporate and academia fields, an analytical chemist’s income will be very different. 

 

Some believe that a career in science means you have to be extremely book smart. Is it?

That’s not true, I wasn’t an ‘A’ student, I didn’t graduate with a first class degree either. In high school I enjoyed biology, and followed that interest No matter what people say, it is all about interest and dedicated hard work.

 

What does it take to pursue a career in the Science Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) field?

Once you get into STEM, especially research, know your profession is global. That means where there is an opportunity beyond your borders go for it. People also need to look at science as an entrepreneurial opportunity, not just a job placement. From manufacturing, such as chemotherapy machines, machines used to analyse scientific data, the pharmaceutical industry manufacturing life-saving medication, to even cosmetics such as lotions and makeup. The opportunities are endless. 

 

What are some of the challenges you believe hinder interest in the field of science?

Scientific communication is a big one. Science should be a subject that we can easily discuss on Facebook, and demystify into layman’s terms. The perfect example is diffusion. When you immerse a tea bag into a cup of hot water to make a cup of tea, that is diffusion. Science is happening all around us daily.