Cytel’s Functional Service Provision (FSP) teams work on exciting projects with biotech and pharmaceutical companies as statistical programmers and biostatisticians. We spoke with Anwaya Joshi, Programming Senior Team Lead, who’s based in India and working with a multinational pharmaceutical company, about the projects she’s found most fascinating and what it’s like to work as a statistical programmer with Cytel’s FSP.
Can you share a little background on your career at Cytel so far?
I joined Cytel just out of my Masters, and it was my first job. I actually just completed 12 years with Cytel this year! I started off as an associate programmer and now work as a senior team lead. I’ve had the opportunity to work on different therapeutic areas, projects, phases, and teams. This has truly been a valuable experience for me, learning so much in a relatively short time span. All of my Cytel managers have trusted me to work on different projects and handle different teams.
Can you share an example of a project you’ve worked on that was really fascinating and/or impactful for you?
One of the most impactful projects I’ve worked on was with late-stage leukemia. My team and I created the first time-to-event dataset for this project — it didn’t exist before. This is something that will always be on my mind.
Another is the project I am currently working on. We started off with 6 programmers and now there are 17 of us; we have grown very quickly in terms of scope of work and number of teammates. This is something to be proud of as a team leader!
What motivates you in your work?
Surprisingly, challenges and hurdles are something that motivates me the most. When I meet a client or task that challenges or pushes me, that is when I feel most motivated.
What’s most important to you as a team leader?
Be it our industry or any other, as a team leader, the most important aspect is trust. From your superiors, from your team, and from your client. When you earn their trust, any hurdle or difficulty seems to be solvable. You also need to trust your team, which builds a very strong and trusting relationship where teammates will not be hesitant to come forward and speak to you.
What makes you feel like you’re an integral part of the team?
The people around me make me feel like I belong here and that I should be here. Even though we are working from home, the connection is there. Since I have been with Cytel for a long time, I have made good friends here and many good memories.
What does it take to be in Cytel FSP?
Good and prompt communication, eagerness to learn, taking ownership of work, and doing work with 101% dedication are some key points that a good Cytel FSP teammate should have.
Thank you, Anwaya, for sharing your experience!
Interested in a career as a statistical programmer? To learn more, or to explore our openings, click below:
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