Employee Blog | Mark Coldwell, Technical Support Scientist, Promega UK

Mark Coldwell, Technical Support Scientist, Promega UK

What is your background, and what led you to join Promega?

I have a background in molecular and cellular biology, with experience in both academic research and industry settings. As a long-term user of the company’s products, joining Promega was an exciting opportunity to apply my scientific knowledge to support a wide range of researchers and also refresh and broaden my own scientific knowledge. When I first did a luciferase assay as an undergrad, I’d have never thought I could end up being part of the company that did so much to bring this technology to labs!

What does your role in Technical Services involve?

When I’m in the office, my role involves assisting customers with technical inquiries, troubleshooting experiments, and providing guidance on product selection and application. Whether it's discussing a new assay, or helping interpret data, I'm here to ensure our customers have the support they need to succeed. What I also enjoy is getting out into the field and supporting a customer with one of our instruments. This may be demonstrating the features of a plate reader that they’re considering purchasing, or servicing one of our nucleic acid extraction instruments and finding out more about how this fits into a lab’s workflow.

Why is having a UK-based Technical Services team important?

Being UK-based allows us to provide timely and context-specific support. We understand the local research landscape, regulatory requirements, and logistical considerations. This enables us to offer more tailored assistance compared to remote or global support teams.

Can you share an example of how you've helped a customer?

I’ve recently been helping an academic customer who is dealing with the dreaded “Reviewer 2” asking for further controls for a publication. I’ve been able to guide the customer to the appropriate reporter plasmid, discussed the design of the insert and controls, and also advised on the most effective way to design and execute the subsequent luciferase assays. Being able to speak from experience, having done the same kind of work in the past has been fun, and fingers crossed that the imminent results will help get the paper published!

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Every inquiry is unique, which makes every day different, and I enjoy the problem-solving aspect and the opportunity to engage with a diverse range of scientific projects. It also appeals to my curiosity, and enables me to learn more about how our products can be used in diverse areas from clinical and forensic labs to environmental monitoring. As someone who was involved in research which looked to understand a very small but key aspect of gene expression, it's fulfilling to know I can still support those engaged in important research that makes a difference to solving scientific problems. As someone who taught and trained many people during my time in academia, it’s also been a pleasure to bump into some of them on my travels, and to see how they’ve developed and are contributing to science in a wide variety of roles.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

Outside work, I enjoy the chance to explore new cities, and also hiking in the New Forest and further afield. Being in the countryside is a great way to unwind and take a breath, and sometimes a long walk can help you ponder a complex question (not always scientific) and gain a fresh perspective.

What’s one thing your colleagues or customers might be surprised to learn about you?

That the spark for me becoming interested in genes and biology was finding out I was colour blind when I was about 8 years old, and then understanding how it was all down to inheritance of a DNA mutation. It’s funny how something which could have limited me (I’ll never be a pilot!), has ended up leading to an interesting, fulfilling and varied career.

Our UK-based Technical Services team is here to support you. Whether you have questions about product applications, need troubleshooting assistance, or seek guidance on experimental design, we're just a call or email away.