Welcome back to Team Insights, where we offer you a chance to get to know a Microbiome Insights team member on a deeper level. For our newest issue of Team Insights, we bring in a new member of our Sales Team: Sarah Carden. We're excited to welcome Sarah into the Microbiome Insights team, and we're looking forward to her growth in sales.

You can connect with Sarah on LinkedIn here.

Hello Sarah, it's a pleasure having you on the team - and also getting to talk to you a bit more here. Let's get right into it:

What do you do at Microbiome Insights? Describe your role?

I’ve just joined the sales department at Microbiome Insights where I act as a point of contact for current and potential clients to discuss their studies based on the microbiome with my fellow colleague Seanon. I coordinate with various teams within the company, for example, the bioinformatics and laboratory teams, to ensure a smooth and delightful experience for the clients. Along with this I am a part of the marketing team and play a role in promoting Microbiome Insights.

What were you doing before your time at Microbiome Insights?

Previously I was completing an MSc in Biomedical Sciences with the National University of Ireland Galway. Along with this I was also working part-time with The Coca-Cola Company as a Quality engineer.

What interests you most about the area of the microbiome? What do you think will be an important development in the field of microbiome research?

One of the most appealing aspects of studying the microbiome, in my opinion, is how diverse and broad the field is. There is always something fresh to discover and something being researched that is in the works. I suppose this is why I find my job at the company so fascinating and fulfilling, I get to learn about all the recent advancements in the industry. The research on the gut-brain microbiota particularly piques my attention, but it could also be because I learned about how different foods can affect your gut and how that can subsequently affect your mental and physical health when studying food science at UL.

What do you enjoy most about Microbiome Insights?

As I’m only here a few weeks the main thing I currently love is the team. They are by far the most welcoming and friendliest team I have come across in a workplace to date. I haven’t felt uncomfortable at all and with a big move from Ireland, they have really helped me feel a lot more settled than I ever imagined I could feel.

What’s the best advice you can give to someone who just got out of university and is looking to start their career on the right foot?

Talk to as many different people as much as you can. Be open to help, don’t close any doors and try everything!! Life is about experiencing all the different opportunities that come your way!

What are your passions outside of work?

Reading, baking, sea-swimming and hopefully skiing and snow sports will be up there now that I’ve moved to Vancouver!

If you could get a new skill in 10 minutes, what would it be?

Snowboarding or else to be multilingual.

What’s your favourite music genre?

Pop & chill music.

What is a book you think everyone should read if they can?

The top 5 regrets of the dying by Bronnie Ware

If you could make any fictional creature real, which would you choose?

Donkey from Shrek

Thanks for reading! You can connect with Sarah on LinkedIn here.