Chandrabali Datta studied engineering and biotechnology in Calcutta.
London:
Indian scientist, part of team of professionals at Oxford University on project to find vaccine to protect against coronavirus, says she feels honored to be part of a humanitarian cause, with the hopes of the world attached to the result.
Chandrabali Datta, born in Kolkata, works in the clinical bioproduction center of the university’s Jenner Institute where phases II and III of human trials of the vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 are being conducted as a possible tool to fight the virus mortal.
The role of this 34-year-old woman as a quality assurance officer means that it is her responsibility to ensure that all levels of compliance are achieved before the vaccine can advance to the trial stage.
“We all hope it will work in the next step; the whole world is turning to this vaccine,” said Datta.
“It is like a humanitarian cause to be part of this project. We are a non-profit organization, which devotes overtime every day just so that this vaccine succeeds, so that human lives can be saved. It ‘ is a massive team and everyone has worked tirelessly to succeed. I feel honored to be part of this project, “she said.
While her own “close-knit” team of 25 experts in the field of vaccine production is extremely gender balanced, Datta wants to encourage young girls in India to challenge perceived male dominance in the biosciences.
“If you are motivated and ready to take on a challenge, then this is your field. Nowadays, biotechnology and pharmacy have an equal gender ratio, so there are a lot of opportunities,” he said. she declared.
“The scientific field is not very well paid, so you have to get rid of your materialistic desires if you want to succeed in this field. But if your motivation is really high and you are ready for the fight, then it is very There is a lot of recognition for your hard work because, ultimately, you improve human life, “she said, as a message for young girls considering a career in the biosciences.
Ms. Datta, who studied engineering and biotechnology in Kolkata, was drawn to biology and math in childhood. She then studied computer science and even worked as an associate software engineer at Accenture in India, but was sent back to biotechnology because of its “evolutionary and inventive” potential.
“My childhood friend was studying in Nottingham, which inspired me, and the UK is known for equal rights, women’s rights. So I chose to do my master’s in biotechnology at the University from Leeds, “she recalls.
“It was a real struggle – to leave India and come here. My mother was not too happy that her only child moved to countries to study. But my father was always ambitious for me and said that I should pursue my dreams and not compromise. ,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Datta balanced the changes in the supermarkets and pizzerias with her lab experiments to cover living expenses. After graduation, additional difficulties arose in the form of a job search, which proved to be extremely difficult and required the writing of hundreds of applications per day.
Her persistence paid off when she got a job with the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline as an R&D scientist developing inhalers. Her hard work and diligence allowed her to climb the ladder quickly to her current job at Oxford University about a year ago, where she found herself in one of the vaccine projects we are talking about. more in the world.
“I have to make sure that all of our services are in compliance, that everyone is trained in everything they do and in all standard operating procedures (SOP). Particularly in this project, my contribution was to verify that everything is in compliance , the SOPs are followed, no mistakes were made, ”she explains.
But working during the lockdown as a key worker on the front lines of the pandemic meant that her parents back in Kolkata were constantly worried about her safety.
As she manages to stay in touch with family and friends in India through regular calls on WhatsApp, Ms. Datta hopes she can be with her parents for her annual Christmas trip by the end of the year.
“We have never seen a pandemic like this in our lives. We used to read history, but we never imagined that in the 21st century, we would see such a pandemic, which we would require staying in our homes for months. The main goal is to bring human life back to normal and save lives, “she said.
