One Year In: Reflections on Life, Science and Supporting Discovery at Millennium Science

It’s hard to believe it’s already been one year since I joined Millennium Science. Over the past 12 months, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with researchers across Australia and New Zealand, supporting everything from early-stage assay development through to established, high-throughput workflows. It’s been a year full of learning, connection, and a renewed appreciation for the science happening right on our doorstep.

One of the biggest positives of this role has been the variety. No two weeks look the same, from visiting labs and running demos, to attending conferences and catching up with researchers over morning teas. Those conversations, whether at the bench or over a coffee, often provide the most valuable insights into what researchers actually need.

Events like CYTO-Connect and ASI have been particular highlights. There’s something energising about seeing the community come together, sharing data, debating approaches, and learning from one another. Being able to support these meetings, demonstrate new technologies, and have real, practical conversations about workflows has been incredibly rewarding.

Coming into this role from a background as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, I initially saw the move as an opportunity to apply my scientific training in a different way. What I’ve learned is just how valuable that bench-side experience is when supporting researchers, understanding experimental constraints, timelines, and the realities of generating reliable data.

Over the past year, that experience has shaped how I work: launching and writing Joe Blogs to share practical insights from the field, hosting webinars to break down new technologies, providing hands-on instrument and assay demos, and presenting at national conferences. Across all of these, the goal has remained the same, to translate complex technologies into something genuinely useful for real research questions.

This past year has also been a steep (and enjoyable) learning curve. A few key takeaways stand out:

• No two labs are the same – listening is always more valuable than assuming.
• Technology is only powerful when it’s accessible – training, support, and context matter just as much as specifications.
• Collaboration drives outcomes – the best results come from strong partnerships between researchers, suppliers, and local support teams.

At Millennium Science, science is serious – but culture matters just as much. It’s not just about cutting-edge tech; it’s about curiosity, collaboration, and actually enjoying the workday. We’ve got a dog-friendly office, share knowledge across teams, and even throw epic end-of-year battle cart competitions (which Joe Blogs won last year).

That mix of expertise, energy, and a little friendly fun makes it a joy to help researchers tackle real-world challenges, turning complex tech into solutions that actually make a difference in the lab.

As I head into year two, I’m excited to continue supporting researchers through lab visits, demos, webinars, conferences, and everything in between. If you’re planning a new project, exploring a new technology, or just want to talk through an idea over a coffee, I’d love to hear from you (contact us today).

Until next time… happy experimenting!