Life at NovAliX

"I’m Hannah, a research associate in biology at NovAliX. I started my career in academia and now I’m able to introduce my academic knowledge into the industry. At NovAliX, I get the opportunity to follow my interests and grow along with the company. The relationship with my colleagues is very spontaneous and non-hierarchical. It is lovely to work with young people who are very motivated and passionate. On a day-to-day basis we encounter a lot of diverse biological challenges. The ultimate goal is to find a drug that makes a difference to patients worldwide. That gives great satisfaction." Hannah Vanrusselt, Biology Research Associate

"I joined NovAliX in Illkirch, Alsace in 2016 to do my final year internship. My objective at that time was to understand how pharmaceutical research works within a company. At the end of my internship, I had an opportunity to move to a client's insourcing site. I was able to develop all my skills within another NovAliX team, while benefiting from the know-how and proximity of the client's employees. Indeed, I was able not only to develop both my technical and theoretical skills but also, and above all, to focus on my professional and personal projects. When the opportunity arose 18 months later, I returned to Alsace. Of course, even if the team was not quite the same, I quickly found my feet within it. I've been here for two years now and, once again, I feel enriched with skills and knowledge as I have the opportunity to work with different collaborators both on-site and cross-site." Najet el Harmouchi, Research Associate.

"I was one of four laboratory scientists hired in January 2004. I don’t hide the fact that, at the beginning, there was a lot of pressure, but it was a challenge, day by day, that we took up. At my level, I was able to contribute to the integration of Novalyst Discovery to form NovAliX. Over the years, I have learned to improve my work, to become more autonomous and to work as part of a team in a good atmosphere. At 38 years old, NovAliX has a big place in my life, I am proud to be "part of the walls" and to be trusted. I hope that our mutual exchange will continue with the future perspectives of the company." Graciela Valério, Senior Research Associate.

"Working at NovAliX means being at the heart of young, talented and motivated teams, united to best meet the needs of our customers. Working at our clients' research sites allows us to be rooted in their research programs and to really work in synergy. Working at NovAliX is also a great career opportunity: I started my career in France as a project manager and was offered, four years later, the responsibility for a team in Spain. Because of its presence in several countries and its size, which fosters personal development, working at NovAliX has allowed me to interact with people from diverse and varied cultures and languages." Matthieu Jeanty, Chemistry Team Leader.

"The year 2019 was for me a year of great upheaval. I was about to become a father in June and, after a doctoral thesis and two postdoctoral stays, I was going to take my first steps in industry in February, thanks to NovAliX. I found here a young and dynamic team, which benefited from the flexibility inherent to the insourcing model: small enough to react to the various changes in direction that synthesis projects take, but sufficiently involved in the process to appreciate the impact of our work on drug development. I also found passionate and open-minded colleagues, with whom informal discussions over coffee or more formal discussions around a whiteboard contribute to a good working atmosphere and professional fulfilment. Arriving as a junior project manager, learning about the transition from academia to industry, I quickly had the chance to prove myself and, with the support of my team leader, to take on more responsibility within the team. I particularly appreciate the variety of activities offered to us at NovAliX. They range from project management and coaching as a research assistant for the client on site to conducting retro synthesis for external clients or literature reviews for our internal teams." Simon Dochain, Project Manager.

"After a PhD in structural biology, specializing in crystallography of biological macromolecules, and a post-doc in bioinformatics studying the analysis of bacterial genomes, I joined NovAliX as a project manager almost 16 years ago now. While keeping my position as a project manager, my role has expanded with the evolution and needs of the company. Over the years, my experience has grown and I have been able to develop my qualities as a manager and team leader. Because of these qualities, I was selected to launch the first "insourcing" activity in Structural Biology with the LBS3 adventure, and lead  the Servier collaboration, working at the SOLEIL synchrotron. After nearly three years of leadership in these roles, and following my return to the historical site in Alsace, I have continued to develop my expertise in new techniques and applications, in line with the needs of our client Servier. My return to the parent company gave me the opportunity to share my experience of "insourcing" with my colleagues and also to begin my role as Industrial Valorization Manager, which involves developing new tools/techniques/strategies to better satisfy our customers. It now gives me great pleasure to lead our pioneering work in microelectronic diffraction (MicroED), which will allow us to quickly offer our customers determination of three-dimensional structures of small organic molecules and biological macromolecules. I especially enjoy participating fully in the development of the company's biophysics activities, which allows us to be always at the forefront of innovation and to make new innovations accessible to our customers. Because of my long experience in the company, it also gives me real satisfaction to share the NovALiX values with the youngest employees and to see them blossom within the company." Gilbert Bey, Technology Development and Valorization Manager.

"I joined NovAliX as a chemistry team leader in charge of an insourcing team of eight chemists, giving support in synthetic organic chemistry. After this first experience, I moved within the company to lead a new insourcing team of 15 chemists. My daily work involved the management of projects among the team and supervising the implementation of new projects at a client's site, where I was the main contact point. NovAliX gave me the opportunity to continuously evolve as I felt a need to change the path of my career. I then obtained a position as marketing and business development Manager for NovAliX and completed an advanced training course in Digital Marketing at the Spanish Business School ICEMD-ESIC in Madrid. What I like about my work is the opportunity to explore new horizons and develop my own proposals and plans. I work in an atmosphere where collaboration and teamwork are the guiding principles. Moreover, working with excellent scientists is always a pleasure because of the passion for science that connects us." Leticia Ferreiro, Marketing and Business Development Manager.