Why I Work at Acuitas – A Project Manager’s Perspective
Today’s installment in our “Why I Work at Acuitas” series is with Acuitas’ Sr. Associate, Project Manager, Dr. Baishakhi Datta. We recently caught up with Dr. Datta and asked her a few questions about why she chose to work at Acuitas Therapeutics.
Dr. Datta joined us just over a year ago as a certified project management professional with more than 10 years of experience in biological research project management and scientific communication. She has a PhD in Infection Biology from Hannover Medical School in Germany, an MSc in Molecular Cell Biology from the University of Sussex in the UK, and a BSc (Honours) in Microbiology from the University of Calcutta in India. She also holds a Project Management Professional Certification (PMP). That’s quite the resume!
At Acuitas, Dr. Datta focuses on project management for planning, scheduling, updating and reporting within the scientific division, including creating tailored project management solutions for the team.
Originally from India, Dr. Datta lived in Germany and the UK before moving to Vancouver to join the Acuitas team. “The work being done at Acuitas is exceptional,” she explained. “Research is an area that is close to my heart, and what the Acuitas team works on is something that made me want to be a part of it.”
Dr. Datta said that she felt that the work was timely and relevant – especially in the face of a global pandemic – and that she saw innovation being applied throughout the process. “What the team at Acuitas achieved during the pandemic had not been done before. It shows their depth of expertise. I wanted to be a part of this.”
At Acuitas, Dr. Datta can put all of her skills to use in her position. She described what a day in her work life is like: “It’s a real blend of my experience and expertise. I get to be part scientist, part project manager and part communicator – and those are all things I love.”
Doing work that advances human health in a way that is relevant to a global population is something that Dr. Datta is proud of, but she doesn’t think about it too much. The reason, she explained, is that it can feel overwhelming with that kind of responsibility on your shoulders. She said: “I feel fortunate that the whole team is supportive. You feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself and you have people with varied expertise that you can turn to when you need assistance or help in finding a solution to a problem. The team here is experienced and knowledgeable, and they are so generous with their time. We all help each other. That’s just how it is – it’s our culture.”
Dr. Datta said one of the reasons she wanted to work with the team is that research is valued at Acuitas. “Research is so important and interesting. Everyone here feels that way too, and not just because it’s the work that we do – the whole team is passionate about research. Even when we are just chatting informally, more often than not, we end up talking about research because we are so engaged in it.” She added: “Of course, my other passion is the relevance and practical applications of our work. I can talk about that for hours too!”
“I can tell anyone who is considering working at Acuitas that we get to work on initiatives that help save to lives and advance human health. We have an incredible team, and our senior leadership cares about us, as professionals and as people.” Dr. Datta added, “This is a great place to work. I love my job here.”
If you are interested in finding out more about a career at Acuitas, please check out our Career page.
