Caitlin Sives

I’m the first person in my immediate family to have ever graduated from university. I was born in Sydney, but I grew up on New South Wales’ Central Coast with my mum, grandparents and older brother. Before university, I went to a selective performing arts high school (Hunter School of Performing Arts High School) and graduated in 2015. I was a dancer for 15 years and took it seriously, taking part in competitions. I moved to Sydney halfway through the second year of my undergrad degree (Bachelor of Biotechnology) at UTS. 

I chose this degree to specialise in medical biotechnology, particularly in the gene therapy field. I also saw it as an opportunity to gain critical research skills and experience. After my undergraduate degree, I spent six months in an entry-level QC (chemistry) job. I soon realised I wanted to study more to specialise and advance my skill set. This masters degree is very flexible, with a great mix of professional and research subjects. The teaching staff are also really supportive and are happy to share their expertise.

I am passionate about finding treatments for genetic diseases which previously have had poor management and prognosis. I want to contribute to scientific knowledge in the developing field of gene therapy to design viral vectors which will be able to correct errors in patients’ genetic codes. 

I was drawn to UTS because of the style of teaching and learning and its excellent facilities. It has such an innovative approach to learning which allows students to become the world's next change-makers which aligns with my core values. UTS is also very flexible when it comes to studying, which is really useful for handling the workload by taking summer subjects or taking time off when needed. 

As part of my degree, I undertook an internship with a start-up company called Metafact. This company is a fact-checking platform designed to address controversial scientific questions. It is backed by professionals and academics working in specific fields. This company was run out of Fishburners, a start-up incubator. Working in this environment was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the day-to-day work that start-ups take on and how they are run. It significantly improved my science communication skills. 

This degree has made me more confident. It helped me improve my technical skills but also in writing professional documents, communication, and collaboration. 

My long-term career goal is to work in gene therapy research and possibly complete a PhD.  But at the moment, I’m in my last year of study and looking forward to getting hands-on research experience when I participate in the 2021 Australian Synthetic Biology challenge. This involves a team of six UTS students who will compete with other universities to design a synthetic biology project which addresses a key problem. This project is an exciting opportunity as it will help me establish myself in the relatively small field of synthetic biology. Who knows what the future might hold! 

Say yes to every opportunity you have. It is a great way to build connections and figure out what direction you want to take your career.