Meet Jenny Hirst, our Senior Lead Science & Entrepreneurship, and learn about how she pivoted her career

Jenny Hirst joined Babraham Research Campus in November 2023 and has since worked on many exciting areas such as Accelerate@Babraham. Learn more about her inspiring career and how she pivoted from academia to entrepreneurship.?

What particularly interested you about a career in science?

I was drawn to science from an early age – I was curious about the world around me, how it worked, and I just wanted to get involved. I did a degree in Biochemistry and quickly realised that it was the ‘bio’ part that was a better fit for me rather than the ‘chemistry.' This led me to shift my focus to cell biology and the basic understanding of how cells work and what happens when they don’t.

Tell us about your current role at Babraham Research Campus:

I started at BRC in November 2023 to lead a number of exciting programmes. Currently, I am running all of the entrepreneurship activity on campus which aims to increase connectivity across our community.?My main activities include running Accelerate@Babraham, a programme to support start-up companies, as well as the management of a campus-wide fund that supports collaborations and funds a number of networks and events.

Why did you make the switch from Academia to Entrepreneurship?

I had a long research career as a cell biologist and I was driven to understand the mechanism of a rare neurodegenerative disease. I had great aspirations to translate this into meaningful impact in terms of a therapy, but didn’t have a support framework to drive this. In my current role I relish the opportunity to support talent across different sectors and different stages on their entrepreneurial journey particularly through the Entrepreneurship & Career’s Network and Accelerate@Babraham).

What is your advice for those looking to upskill within a role/company?

I am a big believer that you should take every opportunity that presents and always keep challenging yourself – you never know where opportunities can lead. If you know the direction that you want to take but don’t know how to get there, find someone who does! I've discovered that people are always willing to share experiences and advice, so make the most of it. A great place to start is through something like the mentorship scheme such as the one we host on Campus. If you don’t know the direction you want to take, then joining our Entrepreneurship & Career’s Network is a great place to start.

After pivoting your career, what has been the biggest skill you have learnt?

Since pivoting, I’ve realised that a lot of the skills that I had were completely transferable, and the biggest challenge was making the decision to transition to a different role. I have learnt a lot about commercialisation, and it has been an honour to be nuturing start-up companies on the start of their journeys.