Lakshmi Krishnan

About me

I was born/grew up in: Tenkasi, India

I now live in: Ottawa, Ontario

I completed my training/education at: M.Sc., (India), Ph.D. (National Institute of Immunology, India), Post-Doctoral Fellowship (University of Alberta)

What I do at work

At the National Research Council, I plan and develop research projects that will improve health and food security. I discuss with other scientists the progress of various projects and analyze scientific data. I also plan and execute experiments with my team. I participate in meetings with other senior executives in industry, government and universities to establish and conduct collaborative research. I review and allocate budgets. I also write business cases and business plans for large projects. I provide advice to other scientists and I participate in international and national meetings with scientists. I make decisions on priorities for my organization, and on promotion cases. I work in both English and French. As a scientist, I am able to be an administrator in a scientific organization, and understand key strategic areas of opportunity in my field.

My career path is

I always wanted to be a scientist. When I was a young child, I was fascinated about working with cool gadgets. I pursued a Masters in Genetics and then went on to do my Ph.D. in Immunology. That is where I became a specialist in Vaccine Development. I chose this field because I was fascinated by the way cellular processes work. I was interested in learning how we could develop cures for diseases. See my LinkedIn profile for more details of my career path.

I am motivated by

I like my job because every day brings new challenges. I get excited when an experiment works in the lab. It is also exciting when I can see the impact it will have in bringing a new solution for benefit of health. I enjoy that I can use my understanding of certain areas such as vaccine development in my job every day. I enjoy the diversity in my work place that brings together people to solve a problem.

How I affect peoples’ lives

I work on developing new vaccines as well as solutions to tackle diagnosis and treatment of infections and cancer. I feel every day that my work will bring social benefit to the society at large. My work will also help indirectly create new jobs in industry, and in society. I train students and scientists to excel in this field. I contribute to the advancement of science and make that work for Canada

Outside of work I

I love the outdoors (canoeing, hiking), and walking my dog Leo. I enjoy volunteering. I am very active with an international organization that imparts leadership and spirituality amongst youth. I enjoy music and reading.

My advice to others

Science is fun! Nurture your curiosity and find the field that fascinates you the most. Your journey can be beautiful and work will feel like play even though hours are long.