EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
JOE SALEM
R&D Scientist III
How long have you been with MMQCI and how did you first learn about our company?
I have been with MMQCI since the summer of 2016. When I joined, the company had just moved into Mill Brook Road a few months prior, so the building was brand new. My wife found the job opening while she was helping me look for local opportunities.
Describe MMQCI in three words:
Customer-focused, Professional, Innovative
What do you like best about MMQCI?
I like how we always stay focused on the needs of the clinical lab and how to provide the highest quality and most useful controls possible.
How would you describe your team?
The members of my team are imaginative, motivated, selfless, and relentless problem-solvers. They also love Thai food.
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen since joining MMQCI?
Growth! Not just in square-footage, but in people, departments, and knowledge.
What are the toughest challenges you’ve had at work?
As it was for everyone, 2020 was very challenging year. Working throughout the pandemic and throughout all the craziness that was happening in the world was challenging. Looking back, it was special being part of a team that not only persevered, but contributed to the clinical testing landscape during that time.
What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
When I was younger, I struggled with letting mistakes, or being wrong, consume me. I would tell my younger self that science is a field that embraces incorrect assumptions. It is a field where making mistakes are not just avenues for growth and learning, but are sometimes critical to progressing the entire field forward.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations, and why?
My first and biggest inspiration that got me interested in molecular/cell biology was my high school biology teacher, Mrs. Heckman. To this day, I remember looking at a swab of my own cells under the microscope and her explaining that there was 6-feet of DNA just within the tiny dark spot in the center called the nucleus. I was amazed! My mom, dad, and brother have inspired me my whole life.
What’s the last song you listened to?
‘Where is my mind’ by The Pixies
What is something about you that most people don’t know?
I love learning about cosmology and astrophysiology.
I am currently re-reading “Einstein: His Life and Universe” by Walter Isaacson.