Tatum Sevenoaks
PIPS Host Organisation: Emteq Labs

During Tatum Sevenoaks’s placement at Emteq, she assisted in designing and conducting a pilot study to evaluate their OCOsense smart glasses technology for monitoring eating behavior, physical activity, and mood in a real-world setting. Her responsibilities included drafting the study protocol, preparing ethics documentation, recruiting participants, and managing participant involvement throughout the study.

As the primary person responsible for testing participants, Tatum took the initiative in navigating an unfamiliar area of research using novel technology. This experience allowed her to gain valuable insight into the technology development process, as she observed firmware updates for the smart glasses and several iterations of the OCOsense app that accompanies the glasses.

Tatum also had the opportunity to attend weekly project meetings with the developers, the operations manager, and the chief science officer, as well as company-wide stand-up meetings. In these meetings, she provided feedback on her progress, strengthening her communication skills. Attending these meetings also provided a unique perspective on the inner workings and strategic focus of a biotech start-up, highlighting the differences between industry and academia.