Earlier this month (11^th – 13^th September), VRS attended the 39^th edition of the British Mass Spectrometry Society held at the University of Cambridge. This year’s BMSS focus was Mass Spectrometry within the Life Sciences. A sector that has seen major and rapid developments in the last decade in regards to mass spec and what better place to hold such a conference than Cambridge, boasting the largest life science and (bio)pharma cluster in Europe.

Attended by academics, industry leaders and instrument vendors, BMSS is a great place to network, share and discuss a variety of subjects linked to Mass Spec and it is with great pleasure that VRS have returned every single year since our first participation in 2002 in Loughborough.

This year, the Careers Workshop encompassed presenters from both industry and academia talking about their personal history and how they ended up in their current mass spec focused positions. They gave an overview of the potential avenues available to graduates and different directions you could take in your career. Each presenter demonstrated how, with the right amount of determination and enthusiasm, it is possible to secure a role within mass spec through a variety of different avenues. All presentations were incredibly engaging and inspiring; a big thank you to – Claire Eyers, Professor Biological Mass Spectrometry at University of Liverpool, Camilla Liscio, Senior Application Specialist at Anatune and Ashley Phillips, Scientist at LGC. VRS concluded the Careers Workshop with a presentation focussing around ‘How to Secure your Dream Job’ covering effective CV writing, an overview of the interview process and negotiating offers. We believe the talk was well received, but if you missed it we are happy to discuss any of these aspects with you; please do get in touch!

For the next two days, we interacted with a range of industry and academics forming and developing business relationships, learning about the latest industry trends and product developments, along with advising MSc and PhD students in regards to the their job search.

After a long day of networking, presenting, talking and discussing the industry, everyone needs a bit of a rest – and what’s better than a drink in a (slightly) more relaxed environment? Kim and Franck went to the conference dinner Wednesday night held in the stunning venue of Cambridge’s St. John’s College, followed by some “extra curricular” networking at The Eagle pub where Francis Crick interrupted patrons' on February 28^th, 1953 to announce that he and James Watson had "discovered the secret of life" after they had come up with their proposal for the structure of DNA.

Once again, VRS very much enjoyed meeting with all of you who either stopped by and said hello or who we met during social events and we are already looking forward to the next event. This will take place in Manchester at The Royal Northern College of Music between the 3^rd and 5^th of September 2019 - don’t miss it and if you haven’t already done so, you can register at: bmssadmin@btinternet.com