Kaley Pederson came to MDG as a recent college graduate. Her fresh talent and hard work ethic have made her an excellent addition to the research team!
1. What drew you to Microbial Discovery Group?
I was initially drawn in by the variety of things that are done here! Before I joined the team, I did some research and found it interesting to see how far the work spans into so many different applications. As a recent graduate, I was also attracted to the opportunities for growth as well as the growing and innovative culture.
2. What does your typical day look like?
I think everyone that works here can agree that a “typical day” doesn’t really exist, but that’s what keeps things interesting! Day to day I could be performing totally different laboratory techniques for different purposes. From there, my work is used to gain new insights into helping solve some of today’s problems.
3. What are you working on right now?
Lately, a lot of my time has been spent helping develop a new product designed to help promote overall gut health
4. What is the most inspiring part of your job?
I think one of the most inspiring parts of my job is getting to listen, learn, and collaborate with my coworkers. The research team makes it a point to set aside time to share what each of us are working on and how we can best help each other’s projects. I’m truly inspired by all of the mentors I have to learn from here at MDG!
5. What do you like to do when you’re not at the office?
Outside of work I like going camping and to concerts! Recently, I went to two music festivals where I got to camp and see music – the best of both worlds. I also enjoy playing with my two dogs, Cole and Griffin!
6. Professional goal for the next 5 years?
My professional goal for the next 5 years is to continue learning new things while also improving on my current skills and tasks. Specifically, I hope to gain more experience with data analysis and interpretation while sharpening my ability to share data in a concise and confident manner.
7. Let’s talk about the skills you’ve honed and/or the projects and experiences you’ve had since joining Team MDG…
There are valuable, foundational skills that you learn in college, but being able to put those into practice in a real way is indescribably beneficial. I’ve had the opportunity to refine my fundamental laboratory techniques while also getting to build upon them in more intricate ways. Each day is a new challenge and I love that our hard work is going to help better the world.
I couldn’t have asked for a better experience for my first position out of college! I have learned so much since joining the team and am excited for all of the future opportunities I’ll have at MDG.
