Her Story
About Muneeba
My educational background starts with a bachelor's in biochemistry from University of Kashmir, India, and then my master's also was in biochemistry from University of Kashmir, India. After that, I shifted to Europe and started working in the Coca-Cola company, and then at International Microelectronics and Drymex. I shifted to the USA in November 2024, and in August of last year, I started working with Millipore Sigma, one of the big companies. I'm currently working with them and learning a lot of new things. My main area of expertise is immunohistochemistry, where I do antibody validation and antibody optimization. I also have good document practices and work on reports and documents. My day usually starts at 8 in the morning with precision testing, and after that I work on documents and reports. Since I did my studies in India, it was challenging to get acclimatized with this environment, but I did it very well within 2 months. I was able to get completely adapted into my team, and I'm a great teamworker. What inspired me to get into my field was that I had a background in biochemistry, so I was always inclined to implement what I learned in theory during my master's and bachelor's as practical work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Muneeba
01What do you attribute your success to?
I definitely attribute my success to myself. It was very difficult for me, but I did it - I adjusted across multiple countries in the world in my career. I have faced a lot of rejection throughout my journey. It was never a smooth journey where I interviewed somewhere and got selected. I have faced a lot of rejection, but even after that, I stood very firm in applying and cherishing my career all the time. There have been ups and downs throughout which I kept myself sober.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I have received the best advice from my professor in my master's program: if the journey is long, let it be. Avoid shortcuts in life to fall down in the end. I think this is really important to remember and to take your time.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Stop competing with other people. Just compete with yourself. Focus on one direction, focus on your goals. Just ignore as many rejections you get in life. Stand, still stand firm. If you're the person who constantly compares to others, you have to seek validation all the time. But if you compete with yourself, that makes you feel much better.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I have faced a lot of challenges throughout my career. When I started applying earlier, I faced a lot of rejection. It was never a smooth journey where I interviewed somewhere and got selected. I have faced a lot of rejection, but even after that, I stood very firm in applying and cherishing my career all the time. There have been ups and downs throughout which I kept myself sober. As for opportunities, there are a lot of opportunities in my field. With the antibody optimization and validation work that my company is doing, there are histology positions, positions for pathologists, and positions for microscopy work.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My first and foremost value in my work is being loyal to my employer. In my personal life, my value is to know yourself more and more each day, and start competing with myself only in my life, and not competing with other people.
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