Catherine Chang

Course: Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours), 2012 and Doctor of Philosophy, 2017
Nationality: Malaysian
Current role: Research Scientist, Arkema Thiochemicals

Please tell us about your role in your current organisation.

I am currently working as a research scientist in the R&D department of Arkema Thiochemicals Sdn Bhd. Arkema is a French Specialty Chemical company created following the reorganisation of Total’s Chemical branch. I work in the field of Industrial Specialties, particularly sulphur chemicals.

My main role is to be part of the R&D team in Malaysia that contributes to the ideation process on new processes or product development for Arkema as a whole, by being actively involved in scientific exchanges with other R&D centres and thiochemicals production plants, which are located in France and Malaysia. In addition, the R&D team is also responsible for realising the ideas and working on further improvement through laboratory experiments and pilots.

Please tell us about your research at Monash.

My PhD research focuses on the development of a computing approach that could predict the soluble production yield of any recombinant protein when produced in the periplasm space of a prokaryotic microorganism, particularly Escherichia coli.

E. coli is frequently used to produce recombinant proteins for therapeutic use and research purposes. The production of soluble protein in the compartment named periplasm offers benefits such as a much easier purification process and increases the chances of producing soluble and biologically active proteins. Different combinations of the short leading peptide and target protein will lead to varying amounts of soluble protein produced. This study developed an approach to predict the amount of soluble protein produced in the periplasm of E. coli by applying computational advances in the field of biology and chemistry.

How have your studies at Monash helped to prepare you for the working world?

Putting academic achievements aside, I greatly value the soft skills that I had gained through my four years of undergraduate studies and four years of postgraduate studies at Monash.

Many of my assignments and projects have trained me to be independent and self-disciplined with good time management. Countless presentation and interview sessions greatly improved my communication and presentation skills, transforming me into a more outspoken speaker well equipped with critical thinking capabilities. Group assignments and projects prepared me to be a good team player when working in a team as well as leadership training when playing the role as the leader in any group activities.

Did you participate in any student activities or opportunities while at Monash?

I went on a student exchange program to Monash University’s Clayton campus during the third year of my undergraduate studies, and to Fukui University in Osaka, Japan for two weeks. I was also the recipient of the Australian government’s Endeavour Research Fellowship, which got me an attachment to the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Monash’s Clayton campus for six months.

What are your career goals?

Since I am still in the early stage of my career, I am looking forward to contributing as much as possible to being a member of the R&D team, both scientifically and technically. In the next five to ten years, I see myself leading a team of researchers to improve the sustainability of various chemical processes, thus making an impact on the industrial carbon footprint by developing greener processes and products.