Featured Student: Phoebe Wang

What is your field of study and when will you graduate?

I’m studying Chemistry and will graduate in May 2024.

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

I heard about the co-op program when I was in first year from various sources, including my Imagine Day orientation leaders, UBC emails and our department website.

After attending the information session, I decided to enroll in the program to explore potential opportunities, gain relevant work experience and enhance my competitiveness in both job searching and grad school applications.

Which positions did you work during Co-op?

I began with an 8-month co-op term at Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., which I extended for another 4 months.

During this period, I worked in the Drug Product team of the CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) department.

Can you share at all the work you did with Xenon Pharmaceuticals? ie. what do they do, what were your responsibilities and how did they contribute to the work Xenon does?

Xenon is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the treatment of neurological disorders.

During my co-op terms, I had the opportunity to engage in diverse projects. My first project involved selecting suitable excipients with minimal chemical interaction with the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), achieved through conducting excipient compatibility studies.

I also performed polymorph screening, to identify potential polymorphs of newly identified target compounds. In addition, I contributed to formulation development studies, assisting in the development of both liquid and solid formulations.

Are there any courses that you feel best prepared you for your role and responsibilities at Xenon Pharmaceuticals?

My first answer would be CHEM 300 (Communicating Chemistry)! As a scientific communication course, it equipped me with essential skills for presenting scientific results both orally and in written reports.

CHEM 325/345 (Integrated Chemistry Laboratory) provided me with practical laboratory skills and exposure to experiments across different chemistry areas (physical, analytical, inorganic, and organic). These projects were also great content to be included in my resume and cover letter, especially when I did not have any research experience before starting my co-op term.

For my role specifically at Xenon, the knowledge gained from CHEM 327 (Introduction to Materials Chemistry) proved instrumental in my work. While I learned the theoretical knowledge of equipment such as XRPD (X-ray powder diffraction), TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis) and DSC (Differential scanning calorimetry) from this course, I never had the chance to use them until my co-op — when I worked on the polymorph screening project.

Can you share your favourite experience while in co-op?

It was an incredible experience working with my talented and supportive co-workers.

Their encouragement and willingness to assist had a significant impact on my personal growth and learning. My supervisor and I discussed the progress of my work and problems that I encountered during our weekly one-on-one meetings.

Participating in group meetings provided me with valuable insight into broader projects, shedding light on the different stages of drug development. One of the most valuable aspects of my co-op was the connections that I formed with my supervisor and co-workers.

I genuinely enjoyed collaborating with them, not only did they provide support when needed, but they also brought extensive knowledge and expertise to share, as well as offer me advice about post-undergraduate paths.

What was your best achievement in co-op?

I would consider my most significant achievement to be my involvement in formulation development, where I later had the opportunity to lead a solid formulation project.

There were a number of factors that needed consideration, such as excipient functions, different formulation forms and excipient particle sizes. I found great fulfillment in contributing to projects that have the potential to benefit patients.

What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

The first two months of my co-op term presented challenges, as I transitioned from a student to a workplace environment — particularly in an area I had no prior experience.

I started with almost zero knowledge about drug development. I didn't recognize the distance between drug substance and drug product or know that besides active pharmaceutical ingredients, a drug also contains excipients. While I had learned the concept of polymorphism from my coursework, I hadn't known that this concept could be applied in the pharmaceutical industry.

My supervisor and co-workers were incredibly supportive, providing guidance and assistance to help me navigate and adapt to this unfamiliar territory.

How do you feel co-op helped your personal growth?

I enhanced both my technical and transferable skills by participating in the co-op program.

This experience provided me with the opportunity to explore a wide range of new techniques, expanding my skill-set to include around ten more than I knew before starting my co-op.

One of the most noticeable areas of personal growth has been in oral presentation. Prior to joining Xenon, I had never delivered an independent 20-minute presentation for an audience of scientists. My supervisor guided me on how to deliver scientific results effectively and highlighted areas for further improvement, so I not only succeeded, but became much more confident in oral presentations.

How do you feel co-op has helped your career?

Working at Xenon showed me the complexity of drug development, surpassing my initial perceptions and helping me understand why drug development demands substantial resources.

This experience has motivated me to further pursue studies in pharmaceutical sciences. As mentioned before, the soft and technical skills that I acquired from this co-op experience are invaluable. When I initially joined the program, my goals were professional development and the hope to discover where my passion lies. Now, I have not only met those goals, but even gone above and beyond my initial expectations.

What advice would you offer to future co-op students?

I highly recommend enrolling in the co-op program, as it provides excellent opportunities to discover your passions by immersing yourself in a real-life work environment. It’s also a great stepping stone to your future career path. I also have co-workers who enrolled in the co-op program during their undergraduate studies and they all had very positive experiences.

Additionally, don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek help if you are uncertain or in need — both during job seeking and work terms. My coordinator played a crucial role in my success during the job application phase, by offering suggestions on my resume and conducting practice interviews.

Finally, the first experience working in a real-life workplace environment can be a bit overwhelming — don’t be afraid to ask or seek help when needed!

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

Through co-op, I’ve developed a great sense of confidence in what I can achieve.

This experience also sparked my interest in further pursuing studies in pharmaceutical sciences.