Pfizer Pharmaceuticals,
Quality Operations Department
Chemistry Lab Technician

Chemistry B.S., 2004

After graduation, I focused mainly on getting my resume put together and out for people to view. I used Careerbuilder and Monster to display my resume. It took a little bit of time but I got a lucky break. My resume was found by a recruiter from On Assignment, Inc., and she was actually an ISU alumna and fellow chemist! She decided to help me out and look for chemistry jobs in the surrounding Terre Haute area. Her former boss at Pfizer was looking for recent chemistry graduates, and she got me an interview. I am actually a temporary employee and contracted through Lab Support (a division of On Assignment). My job title is chemistry lab technician. I work in the Quality Operations Department of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. I conduct tests on our newly approved product, Exubera. The tests are conducted using specific aerosol methods where we test the performance of the insulin in its packaged form and also the inhaler itself. What I like most about my job is the exciting and unique tests we perform and the experience I am getting. Aerosol testing is not done very many places in the world. It is amazing to see how the whole process works to get a drug on the market. I would have to say the most valuable thing I received from my degree study at ISU that I use everyday would be the lab work itself, evaluating results, and all of the lab reports. Being able to acknowledge a result and understand it is a very important aspect in the chemistry work world.