Luminex develops a number of instruments and molecular diagnostic tests that have to be reviewed by regulatory agencies before becoming commercially available. Each of them requires clinical trials to demonstrate accuracy and utility. For this, we count on team members like Eva Oleksy, Senior Clinical Research Associate. She joined Luminex in 2009, and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

 

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: As a team, we prepare for and manage clinical trials, which includes site selection, training, data monitoring, and upholding FDA guidelines that go along with each study. In my role, I am the liaison between clinical sites and Luminex—providing support, retraining, or any additional instruction the clinical sites need. I manage multiple sites in different locations nationwide throughout the entire trial process.

Q: What did you do before this job?

A: I have been with Luminex for more than ten years and I’ve been with this department for three. My previous position here was as an International Field Service Engineer. In this role, I organized and trained Field Service Engineers on software, instruments, maintenance, and troubleshooting. I also developed and implemented a global training program for positioning new trainers in our international corporate locations.

Q: What drew you to Luminex?

A: I came across an opportunity to work at Luminex in R&D developing a newborn screening assay—what drew me to it was the focus on biology. At my previous company, I was performing multiple chemistry-based tasks, so I was looking for something that would allow me to implement the biology side of my degree.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: Agricultural genetics is a big interest of mine. As our population is growing, our resources are becoming limited. The goal is to adapt existing food crops to current land urbanization, rising temperatures, water availability shifts, and changing pathogen and insect threats. If I could find a global solution that would allow for agricultural sustainability, that would be amazing.

Q: If you weren’t a Senior Clinical Research Associate at Luminex, where would you be?

A: I’m a running enthusiast, so I would love to be a director for big global races. Traveling and putting on races would be really fun and rewarding.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: I don’t think people know I was an actress briefly. In high school, I performed in plays and musicals, which then sparked my interest in the local community theater. I worked mostly with the stage crew, and filled in on stage as an extra when needed. Two of my favorite productions were The Secret Garden and The Wiz.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend??

A: I love being involved with the local running community, so I’m typically out getting a long run in, or pacing a half marathon somewhere around Austin. I also play ultimate frisbee year-round in local leagues, and compete in a handful of tournaments. However, my favorite thing is having downtime with my boyfriend and two crazy dogs.

 

Our Advanced Technologies Group is responsible for scouting emerging technology and new directions for future development at Luminex. That’s a big task, so we rely on team members like Johanna Takach, Scientist II, to provide valuable guidance for accomplishing it. She joined Luminex in 2015 after earning her bachelor’s degree in agricultural biotechnology from the University of Kentucky and her PhD in plant pathology from the University of Georgia.

 

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: I work in the Advanced Technologies Group and I’m a biologist jack-of-all-trades. I work on projects related to molecular biology and microbiology—detection of infectious disease agents, making amplification faster, better, smarter, cheaper—and emerging technologies associated with any of those things. I like it because I get to work with new and emerging concepts, and I get to ask questions and work towards figuring out which technologies should be included in our repertoire—or excluded from it—as Luminex evolves.

Q: How did you get interested in this career path?

A: I fell in love with genetics in high school. Genetics can tell us so much about who we are and what our health will look like. I thought about going into genetic counseling, but realized it didn’t really appeal to me. Eventually I decided to use biotechnology to answer questions about disease development and progression.

Q: What did you do before this job?

A: I was a research fellow at the Noble Research Institute in Oklahoma, where I learned to enjoy the south-Midwest culture. I was there for three years. After that, I took the chance to move to Austin and spent a year working for a startup in agriculture.

Q: What drew you to Luminex?

A: When I came out of academia, I found myself opening up to the idea of moving into the industry. Luminex was particularly interesting because of their technology-centered focus on disease detection and multi-analyte testing. We get to answer big questions and develop tools that let people ask even bigger questions.

Q: If you weren’t a scientist at Luminex, where would you be?

A: I would have loved to be a science librarian! I love research—digging into an interesting new topic that I don’t know anything about. Plus I love to read.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: I would love to wave a wand and make lab-grown organs available for transplant patients! Currently there are over 100,000 people in the United States waiting for a life-saving donated organ. There are so many barriers to finding an appropriate donor—biological, economic, ethical, and legal—even with the current technologies available. This type of technology could improve the life of thousands of people per year.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: My first name comes from the Bob Dylan song “Visions of Johanna,” from his Blonde on Blonde album. It’s pronounced Joanna, but I tell people it’s the Bob Dylan spelling.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: My favorite thing is breakfast tacos. I sneak out and get them in the morning, share them with my partner, and then we take the dog out to one of the many hiking trails in the area. If you haven’t been to Austin, you’ve got to try the breakfast tacos. Right now, my favorite are black bean, cheese, and bacon. And of course, you’ve got to put a little salsa on there!

 

Whether it’s through our website, social media channels, or a conference booth, if you’ve seen Luminex content lately, then you’re already familiar with our talented creative services team. Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Yetzielisse Urgelles, a gifted graphic designer who joined our team in early 2018 after completing her BFA in graphic and web design at The Art Institute of Austin.

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: My goal as a designer is to make Luminex stand out in a creative way, whether that’s using secondary colors to make our posts pop on social media, or making our trade show booth stand out using innovative imagery. I also work on internal graphics, and design our quarterly newsletter. Good graphic design should make information easily accessible and visually appealing.

Q: What got you started on the design path?

A: My interest in design began when I first noticed album artwork and movie posters growing up. Album covers like “Dookie” by Green Day, or ads for the animated film “Titan A.E.” caught my eye because they mixed exciting typefaces with imaginative imagery. I knew from a young age that I wanted to someday create aesthetically pleasing artwork.

Q: What did you do before this job?

A: I was a student. One of my professors is the creative director at Luminex, so I got lucky because he was hiring just as I was graduating college. It was a nice transition from the retail jobs I held while I was in school.

Q: What drew you to Luminex in the first place?

A: I originally wanted to work in the creative industry—in music or at a fashion magazine. But the idea of going into the biotech field was a really interesting way to challenge myself and work in a more analytical space. Ultimately, what made me choose Luminex was the end-game, knowing that my designs could play a role in getting our products into the hands of people who will use them to help patients. I’ve only been in the field for a couple of years now, but it’s really cool.

Q: If you weren’t a designer at Luminex, where would you be?

A: I was a dancer for almost my entire life. I got serious about it in high school and I was actually going to go to college on a full-ride scholarship for dance and kinesiology. I ended up not going to that school, but if design hadn’t been an option for me, I would probably be dancing somewhere, or at least working as a choreographer.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: Women’s health issues are often misdiagnosed, so endometriosis is something many women are unaware they have. I have several friends and family members who suffer from pain caused by this disease, and currently, there isn’t much that can be done about it.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: I am into comic books and punk rock shows! I own a small collection of Marvel comics from the Bronze Age, including a 1983 issue of “Marvel Team-Up: Spider-Man and The Scarlet Witch.” The artwork from that comic book era is incredible. Darker-style artists like Bernie Wrightson and Frank Miller inspire the horror comic lettering and illustration that I do in my free time.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: I love checking out small jazz bars and obscure cafes on the east side of Austin. I recently found a place with a cool patio and a reggae-jazz fusion band—this city is full of great local musicians.