Thomas de Marchin – Senior Manager Statistics and Data Sciences – Belgium.
I am a Statistician and Data Scientist. We support pharmaceutical companies in analyzing their data and improving their processes in aspects related to assays and drug development, manufacturing, and drug discovery. Prior to Pharmalex, I obtained a PhD in Biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Liège in Belgium. Right after my PhD, I followed an intensive training in Statistics and data analysis to strengthen my skills on this aspect. This training had to be completed by an internship that I did in the company Arlenda, two years before it was acquired by Pharmalex.
Coming from the academic world, an internship was ideal for me as it allowed me to transition progressively. After one month, I have been hired as a statistician. What I really enjoyed is the diversity of projects. Indeed, as a consultant you work for many different companies on products at all stage of development. You need to learn fast and adapt quickly! I was soon given responsibilities as I was promoted Head of Software after five months. A colleague was leaving, and the company needed someone to lead the software team. We had challenging objectives regarding our software! I am not an IT, but I have strong skills in this domain and together with my business-oriented mindset, it was a good fit. After two years at this position, I was missing numbers and data and wanted to come back to statistics and data science. I smoothly transitioned back from Software to Data Science. Since then, I took over the responsibility to lead a statistical team to support our biggest client. My work consists in coordinating the team: dispatching projects across the team members, overlooking their execution and results communication to the client. We constantly learn about new tools and develop our skills to ensure we can provide the best solution to the client. I also regularly provide trainings to customers.
At Pharmalex, you are quickly given responsibilities. If you love challenges and have an entrepreneurial spirit, this job is for you. I also enjoy the diversity of the projects and peoples. We have colleagues from many different cultures, and we work with clients from all over the world. That broadens your horizons both on a professional but also on a personal level.
