Luminex Corporation: Women’s History Month Employee Spotlight

At DiaSorin North America we are honored to be part of an organization that recognizes women leaders. Last year during Women’s History Month, we acknowledged the women of DiaSorin Inc. and DiaSorin Molecular. This month we are recognizing the Women of Luminex! Over the course of the month we will highlight a woman in Madison, Chicago, Seattle, and Toronto. We will learn about who inspires them, the drive behind what they do everyday, and take away some words of wisdom. Featured Employee: Amanda Seyfert Our first featured employee, Amanda Seyfert, has worked for Luminex for 11 ½ years. As Director of Assay R&D, she oversees the development of new products and a team of assay development scientists at the Madison location.  She holds a Master of Science in Comparative Biomedical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin Madison. At work, her focus is to overcome technical challenges to develop quality products and lead a team of exceptionally talented scientists. Outside of work, she spends her time with her husband and two young daughters enjoying the outdoors (even in snow!), fixing up their older home, and being a part of the vibrant community found in Madison. She also loves to talk about her giant excitable dog and grumpy old cat.     Who is a woman (or women) from your life that have inspired and/or encouraged you? I feel fortunate to have encouragement and inspiration from a lot of sources. Choosing just a couple is challenging! I can’t answer this question without mentioning at least some notable women in STEM that I admire. My favorites include Rosalind Franklin, Mae Jemison, and Katherine Johnson. Each has made meaningful scientific contributions and I admire their courage to build successful careers despite being underrepresented and sometimes unwelcomed. But the women I find most inspiring and encouraging in my day-to-day life are family members, friends, and coworkers who are able to continuously develop their careers and maintain a good work/life balance. I’m inspired by my mother, an entrepreneur, who consistently challenged me to get out of my comfort zone to grow in my career. I’m encouraged by other friends and coworkers with young kids who spend nights being caretakers and days being leaders in their field. It clearly takes hard work and prioritization but I see other women who are able to juggle advancing their careers, taking personal time, and being a dedicated parents. To me, that is inspiring! What are memorable words that have inspired you, perhaps that have helped you when working through a challenge? “Why not?” If I hit a roadblock, I try to reflect on why I can’t move forward. Asking “Why not?” helps me to remove any doubt I have in my own abilities, gives me courage to step outside of the box, and motivates me to try new things. What is the most exciting thing about your work at Luminex?  Problem solving. It can be helping the team find a solution to improve performance of an assay or figuring out a creative way to get things done more efficiently. It is also incredibly rewarding to help individuals on my team develop their careers. It brings me a lot of joy to foster their success and growth! What advice do you have for the next generation of women who want to get into a job like yours?  Seek out people to help open up new opportunities for you and tell them what you want. It is hard. It can be awkward. But it is always worth it. Be courageous because opportunities are not always given away.     Luminex Corporation, a DiaSorin company, is extremely proud to have leaders like Amanda Seyfert. Help us celebrate Women’s History Month by thanking a woman that inspires you.