The global pandemic was a challenging time for everyone, but for Noah Weyrick, one positive outcome was a fantastic job opportunity at Cytiva (a Danaher business). Today, as a scientist in Cell Culture Media Services, Noah derives great satisfaction from his job—along with plenty of opportunities to learn, stretch and grow his career.
What attracted you to the job opportunity at Cytiva?
I joined Cytiva as my first job after graduating from Ohio State University. When I began my job search, during the start of the pandemic, I found that Cytiva was one of the few companies hiring in the biotech field, and I knew of Cytiva’s breakthrough solutions from my biotechnology courses at Ohio State. Being familiar with Cytiva from my college coursework made me confident that I was applying to an industry-leading organization, and it would be a great start for my career.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role.
As a scientist in the cell culture media services team, my primary responsibility is working directly with customers from all over the world to design and test cell culture media and feeds for their cell lines. The cells they use produce a wide variety of biopharmaceuticals that improve human health. In addition to my work with customers, I also use the organization’s unique Danaher Business System (DBS) tools to drive continuous improvements, ensuring that the services we offer are the best in the industry.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
It varies based on the stage of my projects. The bulk of my work includes planning experiments, preparing materials and reagents, growing up and feeding cells, analyzing samples and data, presenting results to my team and customers and then planning more experiments. Every day looks different for me and that’s something that excites me as a scientist.
What’s one of the most memorable moments in your career so far?
One unforgettable event was being part of the 2022 opening of Cytiva’s Cell Culture Center of Excellence, an 11,500-square-foot facility in Marlborough, Mass. (USA). As part of Cytiva’s long-term growth strategy, this center provides expanded cell culture media development capabilities and new cell line development services, which helps our customers reduce development timelines, improve process performance and increase speed to market. Helping to relocate the cell culture services organization to Marlborough was a significant step towards expanding our team’s access to customers who need our services.
Are there any achievements that are particularly meaningful to you?
My biggest achievement during my time at Cytiva was being promoted to Scientist in early 2024, following my start as a Research Associate in 2020 and moving up to an Associate Scientist position in 2022 (see below). In this industry, a scientist position can be hard to attain with only a bachelor’s degree. However, my years of experience as an associate scientist, as well as my work ethic and history of successful project outcomes, gave management the confidence to promote me despite the industry standard.
Different Types of Scientific Roles Explained
In Cytiva’s Cell Culture Media Services team*, Research Associate is the entry-level scientist position for someone with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Associate Scientist is the next level up, followed by Scientist, Lead Scientist, Senior Scientist and Principal Scientist. Within Noah’s team, here’s a brief overview of responsibilities:
- Research Associate: Assists with customer-facing and internal improvement projects led by other scientists.
- Associate Scientist: Continues to assist with customer-facing projects led by other scientists, but also leads their own studies for internal improvement projects.
- Scientist: Leads their own studies for customer-facing and internal improvement projects.
*Note: Other scientific teams within Cytiva may have slight differences in role titles and responsibilities.
Why do you think others in your field would enjoy a job at Cytiva or any other Danaher company?
The culture here provides me with a great environment to learn and grow as a scientist. The sky is the limit—and any idea can be turned into reality. I really enjoy this open and welcoming environment, where Cytiva managers trust me to perform my work without overly strict supervision.
“The culture here provides me with a great environment to learn and grow as a scientist. The sky is the limit—and any idea can be turned into reality.”
Noah Weyrick
Lead Scientist, Cell Culture Services
Cytiva
How comfortable do you feel being your authentic self at work?
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have found Danaher to be a very welcoming and accepting place to work. Being able to perform my work duties without feeling the need to put on another persona helps me focus on what I need to do and helps me connect with other scientists without worry about discrimination.
What do you think is next for you in your career at Danaher?
I plan to continue advancing in my career as a scientist, moving up to more senior-level scientist positions. In the future, I can see myself becoming a director and leading teams like mine.
Take your next step
Explore the links below to start your career journey with Danaher today.