Company: MB Hydro

Work experience in China, ICP-OES at SGS.

My wife and I immigrated to Canada in 2004. We decided to move to Kirkland Lake when a commercial lab offered me a job. It provided testing for environmental monitoring and compliance with the drinking water Acts. I started with the Quality officer maintaining the quality system and the lab accreditation. Afterwards, I performed routine testing, such as anions with ion chromatography, TKN, TP with continuous flow analyzer, F1 (purge and trap), F2 - F4 (Soxhlet extraction) with GC/FID, and E. coli, not to mention COD, BOD, pH, alkalinity, and conductivity.

While I worked at the lab, the community college offered me an instructor position to teach some courses for the water technician diploma program. I had opportunities to teach what I practiced in lab, and experience of regulatory compliance I gained.

I accepted a job offer as a chemist in the lab at AECL in 2009. We primarily provided testing for environmental monitoring and regulatory compliance. Parameters include volatile organic compounds, metals, mercury, anions, pH, COD, BOD, ammonia, and radioactivity (gross beta). Due to the unionized environment, my responsibility on instrumentation was limited to method development and validation. I developed and validated GC-MS with headspace for volatile organic compounds. I helped to streamline data processing, and implement a balance interface program. As a result, we were able to do multitasks without being stressful; and we facilitated accurate data with rapid turn-around-time.

The job at AECL was done in 2016 due to business change. One thing that I did not have a chance to do at AECL was how to do proactive instrument maintenance so that the lab can reduce instrument down-time. I figured it out during the layoff time while I learned R. While I accepted a job offer as a lab scientist at LifeLabs in 2021, I quickly implemented tools in practice. Moreover, I conducted troubleshooting of sample preparation for the assay of steroid profile in urine. Although MLT jobs are unionized, scientists are allowed to do routine works, I performed experiments, from sample preparation, through the instrumentation, and to the data interpretation. The job was done due to the supply shortage of enzyme and loss money of the assay.

While I am looking for an opportunity to return to work, I developed a troubleshooting logbook prototype based on my experience at LifeLabs to manage the troubleshooting records.

As a person, I take my job seriously. I put my best efforts to the job as if I work for myself. As a result, I built the reputation of commitment to team success.

My supervisor at Atomic Energy of Canada can attest that in a written reference letter. 2) I am a good team player. I liked the following three quotes a lot. Quote #1: There is no “I” in the word team. Quote #2: Light the candle rather than curse the darkness. Quote #3: the strength of the chain is determined by the weak of the link. I used them to guide me at work.