👤 Priya Patel

About

Returning to technology after a career break to raise children. Former bioinformatics researcher with a PhD in Molecular Biology, bringing strong analytical and documentation skills to software testing. Participated in the Tech Returners program to refresh technical skills and transition into quality assurance engineering. Currently working part-time in retail while completing training to support career transition.

Experience

  • Trainee Quality Assurance Engineer
    CodeYourFuture · Part-time
    Sep 2023 - Present · 4 mos
    Manchester, United Kingdom · Hybrid

    • Learning software testing methodologies and best practices
    • Developing test cases and documentation procedures
    • Training in defect tracking and reporting
    • Participating in weekend training sessions
    • Skills: Manual Testing, Test Documentation, Bug Tracking

  • Retail Assistant
    Tesco Express · Part-time
    Mar 2022 - Present · 1 yr 10 mos
    Manchester, United Kingdom · On-site

    • Operating point-of-sale systems
    • Managing inventory tracking
    • Supporting store operations while pursuing tech transition
    • Skills: Time Management, System Operations

  • Career Break - Primary Caregiver
    Jun 2017 - Feb 2022 · 4 yr 8 mos

    • Maintained technical skills through online learning
    • Volunteered at local Code Club teaching children programming
    • Participated in Tech Returners’ mentorship program

  • Bioinformatics Research Associate
    University of Manchester · Full-time
    Sep 2015 - May 2017 · 1 yr 8 mos
    Manchester, United Kingdom · On-site

    • Developed data analysis pipelines for genomics research
    • Managed laboratory information systems
    • Created automated testing protocols for data validation
    • Published research on data analysis methodologies
    • Skills: Python, Data Analysis, System Testing, Documentation

Education

  • CodeYourFuture
    Software Testing Program
    2023 - 2024

  • Tech Returners
    Return to Tech Program
    2023

  • University of Manchester
    PhD in Molecular Biology
    2011 - 2015
    Thesis: “Computational Approaches in Gene Regulation Analysis”
    Research included development of automated testing frameworks for data validation

Certifications

  • ISTQB Foundation Level (In Progress)
  • Tech Returners Professional Development Certificate
  • Python for Data Science (Coursera)

Languages

  • English - Professional Working
  • Gujarati - Native Speaker
  • Hindi - Professional Working
  • Marathi - Professional Working