In February this year, the Life Sciences Sustainability Champions hosted a ‘Careers for Change-Makers’ event.

The three Life Sciences Sustainability Champions at the event.

We heard from inspiring individuals on how they are striving to drive change across the life sciences sector – and learnt how to position ourselves in impactful roles in our own future careers.

Missed it? Here’s who attended and their tips for aspiring future change-makers.

Carly Santer – Strategic Initiatives Project Leader and Sustainability Activator (Bayer)

Carly Santer delivering a presentation at the event.

After working in clinical research for 15 years, Carly became Bayer’s first Impact Officer in 2023. She went on to lead a team optimising Bayer’s global clinical trial design process for sustainability – including reducing waste and carbon emissions and increasing diversity in clinical trials.

Since the event, Carly now works at Anthropy, an organisation ‘Inspiring a better Britain’. Her LinkedIn profile describes her as ‘Anthropist. Action-taking Sustainabologist. Climate Concerned Pragmatic Optimist. Forensic Long Term Systems Thinker. Striving to be a Good Ancestor.’

Imogen Turner – Business Development Manager (Senus)

Imogen has worked in the environmental sector since graduating from UoB in 2019. She has worked as a Business Development Manager for Wilder Sensing, a nature tech start-up specialising in avian bioacoustics, and now works for Senus, an MRV company specialising in environmental data management.

Helen Liang – Chief Technology Officer (LabCycle)

Helen co-founded LabCycle and is its Chief Technology Officer. LabCycle is the first company to recycle hazardous laboratory plastic waste through bespoke decontamination and recycling technologies in a circular economy mechanism. It aims to build the infrastructure for sustainable research in the healthcare sector.

Sophie Nash, Chris Meakin and Ellen Whitby – Westonbirt, the National Arboretum (Forestry England)

Chris and Ellen are in the engagement team at Forestry England, teaching future generations about nature and enabling them to take action for climate change. Sophie founded the Arboretum’s Green Team, focusing on reducing emissions and improving green practices: introducing food waste collections, trialling different materials for signage, and raising awareness of their work.

Tips for driving sustainable change

“Be bold: map the companies you are interested in and approach them directly, regardless of whether they are hiring or whether the job spec is an exact fit for your skill set.” – Imogen
“Engage with a wide range of people (scientists, industry professionals, and policymakers) to gain insights and refine your ideas. Be proactive in seeking feedback, and don’t be afraid to iterate on your approach. Most importantly, take action—small steps can lead to meaningful impact over time”. – Helen
“Be as specific as possible when articulating why you are interested in working in a particular sector or for a particular company. There are many sub-sectors and emerging markets under the umbrella of sustainability, saying that you have an interest in sustainability alone may no longer cut it.” – Imogen

Skills, experiences, and attitudes you need to make an impact

“A multidisciplinary skill set is invaluable – combining scientific knowledge with business, policy, or communication skills can open new doors. Most importantly, stay curious and adaptable—the ability to learn and evolve is key to driving long-term change” – Helen
“Be positive, proactive, and resilient. There is a lot happening in the sustainability space, but there are also a lot of people trying to enter or transition into this sector. Be prepared for push backs and challenges.” – Imogen

Want to take it further? Check out these resources…

Written by Karolina Szykula, Student Sustainability Champion for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, with support from Holly Delafield, Faculty Employability Consultant.