Name:
Nicole M. Callen
Institutions:
Ramapo College of New Jersey | Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics with Mathematics Minor
Q&A
How long have you been at Visikol?
Since October of 2021
What do you do at Visikol?
I am a Senior Image Analyst. My job is to convert pixels into meaningful quantitative endpoints for our clients.
How does your department help Visikol accelerate the drug discovery process?
The Image Analysis department specializes in batch processing and automation, which is required when studying thousands of cells under various conditions. We make High-Content Screening possible at Visikol, and ensure your findings are statistically significant.
What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on here at Visikol?
Over the last year, I have been challenging myself as a data scientist by executing the multivariate analysis required for the Cell Painting assay. This assay requires me to investigate the mechanisms responsible for morphological change, rather than quantify predetermined endpoints. This shift in perspective has made me a better scientist.
Most challenging part of working in the science field?
The most challenging part about working in any branch of science is that there are always more questions to be answered. As this community learns, the queries become more precise.
Most rewarding part about working the science field?
My biggest motivator as a scientist is that I am “living in the future”. It may not be the era of flying cars like we once imagined, but the community is collecting data faster than we can analyze it. It encourages me that I live in a time where I am limited only by computing power and my own abilities; both are guaranteed to grow exponentially.
Fun fact about yourself?
I am a self-taught programmer. My biggest goal when coming to Visikol was to be less reliant on vendor software and create pipelines/visualization tools of my own. These are now routines tasks I accomplish in both python and the imageJ macro language.