Next up for our CLS Team Spotlight series is – Rebecca Moffat, LCMS Specialist who works on-site at The Marine Institute as a CLS Analyst on Contract.
We are privileged to work with the team at the Marine Institute since our foundation, supporting them as leaders in their field across the stellar work they perform – marine research, technology development and innovation – as a state agency.
Q. Tell us what a typical workday looks like for you?
My job involves a nice mixture of fieldwork, laboratory and office work so it’s always interesting. I’m involved in all stages of a sample’s lifecycle, from sample collection to analysis, data processing to final report submission. I’m on the road for any fieldwork to collect and label samples on site, ensuring a full chain of custody and transfer to the lab. On analysis days I’ll be in early to get samples weighed and prepared for analysis. Different clean-up steps for sample preparation are required for specific tests and sample extraction can take 1-3 days. At the end of extraction, samples are analysed using UPLC and LCMSMS.
Q. What has been your CLS highlight since joining the company?
I would say the new LCMSMS method that I worked on from the development stage all the way through to validation. It was audited by INAB in January 2022 and awarded the INAB accreditation. This was a massive achievement for me and our whole team as it is now the largest method within our scope (45 analytes).
Q. Share a surprising fact about yourself?
As well as being a scientist, I am also a singer/musician. I studied classical violin since I was 7 and studied traditional music when I was in secondary school. Sometimes you’ll find me singing in the local pubs! I am in a choir too – The Marine Singers – and we have competed and won in several competitions over the years!