Employee Spotlight: Kate O'Dwyer at APC

APC was created out of a passion for science and research. In 2011, Dr. Mark Barrett and Prof. Brian Glennon of the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering in Dublin, Ireland, embarked on a mission to disrupt the pharma and biotech industries with a hyper-focused, accelerated approach to drug process development. Foregoing outside investment, APC has grown organically to become a global powerhouse in process development, partnering with companies large and small to bring medicines to market at unprecedented speed. We caught up with Process Development Engineer, Kate O'Dwyer to learn more about the employee experience at APC.

• As an Engineer, what appealed to you about APC?

Engineers love to problem solve and I wanted to work at a company that gave me the freedom to explore different processes and ideas, without constraints. APC was the exact place to do this because in a process development company, you’re able to take risks and try new ideas that you may not have the opportunity to do elsewhere.

• How did APC support you while working as an intern?

I really enjoyed my time as an intern. Over the twelve months, I worked in three functions (Large molecule, small molecule, and digitalisation), where I was given the opportunity to characterise new equipment, run processes, and shadow engineers and scientists with a depth of experience. I learned so much as an intern and it was rewarding developing processes for new medicines that can impact real lives.

• How would you describe the culture on site at APC?

It is such a vibrant and young company. All the interns from my year came back at the same time as me as graduate scientists and engineers, so we have good craic! It’s a place where you can go up to anyone and ask them a question and they have no issues sitting down with you to help, there is such a wealth of knowledge here, and a culture that encourages trying new things. There is huge opportunity to grow!

• How has your career progressed since you joined APC?

I am currently working in the large molecule engineering and digitalisation functions. In my time here, I’ve experienced downstream process development, scale up to pilot plant, and computational fluid dynamics projects. APC has encouraged me to upskill based on my interests, including supporting a part-time HDip in Data Analytics at CCT Dublin, which I am very grateful for.

• What has been the highlight during your time at APC so far?

Going to the AiChE to present my Masters’ thesis in Arizona was a real highlight! I’ve also got to see equipment that I had helped to scale up, characterise, and designed processes for work successfully at a pilot plant scale here on site which was extremely rewarding.

• What advice would you give to young Engineers, Scientists and Quality Specialists looking to start their first role after college?

Try not to join a company because everyone else is, or you think it’s what you ‘should do’. The learning shouldn't stop after college: you should be learning every day in an environment that challenges you because in the end its so rewarding, and it’ll make you stand out.

For more information on developing your career with APC, get in touch with Claire:

​Claire McGuckin
Senior Client Partner
Project Lead (APC)

At APC we are currently hiring across our functions and I would love to chat with you. Roles include Chemical Engineers, Chemists, QA officers, Analytical Scientists, Upstream and Downstream Development Scientists and Project Managers. Get in touch with me on claire@fastnettalent.com for more info and a confidential discussion.

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