Carmen Clark

Carmen Clark has extensive experience in the field of bioinformatics and clinical science. Carmen is currently working as a Clinical Scientist Bioinformatician/Computational Biologist at Genpax starting from May 2022. Prior to this, they worked at UKHSA as a Senior Clinical Scientist (bioinformatics) from October 2021 to May 2022.

Before their time at UKHSA, Carmen held multiple roles at Public Health England. From February 2021 to October 2021, they served as a Senior Clinical Bioinformatician, leading bioinformatics reference and project work for the Vaccine Preventable Bacteria Section. Carmen was responsible for the pneumococcal reference service and supported bioinformatic development for other organisms within the remit of the section.

From April 2013 to February 2021, Carmen held the position of Lead Pneumococcal Scientist and Bioinformatician at Public Health England, contributing to the implementation of whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology for routine S. pneumoniae reference service. Carmen also gained experience in assay development and lab science during this time.

Before joining Public Health England, Carmen worked as an Advanced Healthcare Scientist at the Health Protection Agency from April 2003 to April 2013, where they had scientific responsibility for the S. pneumoniae reference activities and contributed to the development of various assays.

Carmen's career in the field began at the Public Health Laboratory Service in June 2000, as a Medical Technical Officer Grade 2. Carmen was involved in research activities for the Improved Diagnosis study on S. pneumoniae and was responsible for the evaluation and development of PCR and ELISA assays for detection of the bacteria.

Prior to this, Carmen worked at the PHLS - Enteric Respiratory and Neurological Virus Laboratory as a Medical Technical Officer Grade 2 from June 1999 to May 2000. Carmen'sresponsibilities included developing immuno-assays, running GACELISA assays, and conducting cell culture for various viruses.

Overall, Carmen Clark has a diverse background in bioinformatics, clinical science, and assay development, with a focus on pneumococcal reference services and other vaccine-preventable bacteria.

Carmen Clark's education history is as follows:

Carmen obtained a Bachelor's degree of Science (BSc) in Microbiology from the University of Bristol between the years 1995 to 1998. Carmen then pursued a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology at Queen Mary University of London from 2002 to 2006. Carmen later completed a Master's degree in Bioinformatics at Queen Mary University of London from 2018 to 2020.

In terms of additional certifications, Carmen obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Bacterial Genomes: Disease Outbreaks and Antimicrobial Resistance from Wellcome Genome Campus Advanced Courses in May 2018. Carmen also completed a Python 3 Tutorial course from SoloLearn in June 2018. Carmen attained a Certificate of Equivalence to the Scientist Training Program from the Academy for Healthcare Science in May 2021 and became a Clinical Scientist registered with The Health and Care Professions Council in October 2021. Furthermore, Carmen completed the SQL: Data Reporting and Analysis course offered by LinkedIn in February 2022. Carmen also acquired certifications in SQL Fundamentals from SoloLearn in March 2017 and in An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python from Coursera in November 2014.

It is worth noting that Carmen's education history does not provide a specific start and end year for their attendance at The Dorchester Thomas Hardye School, where they obtained 4 A levels and 9 GCSEs.