Postdoc Alumni Spotlight: Dilrini De Silva

Please could you give an overview of what you’re working on?

I’m a Senior Field Applications Scientist in Bioinformatics at Oxford Nanopore Technologies, currently based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. As part of my remit, I support three geographic regions in the global south: the Middle East, Africa and India.

In my role I focus on providing expert advice for genomic data management, validation strategies and analysis for large-scale population genomics projects in the region. I also work on a variety of smaller proof-of-concept projects with end-users in the region typically using Nanopore sequencing for the first time for their applications.

What was your research area, when a postdoc at Cambridge?

I joined Cancer Research UK in Cambridge as a postdoc in bioinformatics, as part of James Brenton’s group studying high grade serous ovarian cancer, an aggressive form of cancer with low survival rates. We investigated how copy number variation could impact resistance to certain chemotherapies provided to ovarian cancer patients and how these could lead to precision/targeted treatment regimens to improve outcomes.

Did you engage with the Postdoc Academy? e.g. training, workshops, other events?

Yes, I spent quite a bit of time at the Postdoc Academy’s training and social events, and that was one of the things I really liked about being a postdoc at Cambridge. When I was a postdoc at Oxford there wasn’t anything like the Postdoc Academy - a place where postdocs from all fields could come together, connect, and network. That’s definitely something Cambridge does really well.

What steps did you take to reach the position you are at now? How did you decide on this route?

I didn't think for a moment that I would be working in this particular role when a postdoc at Cambridge, because I tried several different things before I ended up here. I completed an industrial secondment at AstraZeneca in its Quantitative Biology and Data Sciences group applying AI algorithms to predict protein construct design, however, I realised that I would enjoy a more commercially focused role better.

While I was still a postdoc at Cambridge, I was very interested in startups and entrepreneurship. Then I won a small Innovate UK grant to work on our idea to develop a platform for precision medicine in pharmacogenomics with my co-founders, and we pursued that for about a year and a half. We raised a small amount of funds, but it wasn't a successful ending for us. Looking back now, it’s safe to say we missed out on a few key elements that would have set us up for success and we were too early for a market that is maturing only now.

I knew I wanted to continue in the life sciences industry, so I then worked with other Cambridge postdocs who had their own startups supporting their operations and providing advice to their bioinformatics teams until I decided on next steps.

The opportunity at Oxford Nanopore Technologies was suggested to me by a friend of mine (Dr. Lakmal Jayasinghe, current CSO). They had a six-month opening for a new type of role and asked if I was interested in trying it out. I said sure, why not? So that's how I ended up here, going from postdoc life to working in the startup environment that Cambridge has to offer and then going to a mid-size company that is growing rapidly. It's been an interesting journey, getting to experience all this in a short span of three years.

So it's about grabbing opportunities as you come across them?

Exactly. That's true because I have to mention my present role didn't exist as an official role within this company. Companies themselves evolve (and now rapidly with the advent of AI) so just because there isn't something that suits you right now, it doesn't mean it’s always going to be that way.

What was the most useful bit of professional development you did that helped you to get where you are, whether that be an opportunity, training, or a mentor?

The most valuable part of my professional development was getting involved with Cambridge’s entrepreneurial community. Through the Postdoc Academy (and other communities), I had the chance to explore non-academic paths, there were regular networking events with speakers from industry, often in the evenings or over college dinners.

I think all those experiences make their own mark and I have met mentors through this whom I still keep in touch with and don’t hesitate to drop a message if I have a big decision to make or want to get a second opinion on something. I think those connections really stay with you well beyond your postdoc years.

Would you be interested in engaging with current postdocs? If so, what sort of things would you hope to get out of that?

I do stay in touch with some former postdocs although they're not current postdocs of Cambridge. I think the key thing is that we’ve all taken different paths, some stayed in academia, others moved on to government, consulting and business, but it’s been really valuable to stay in touch and learn from each other.

We share similar scientific backgrounds, so we’ll message or call with things like, “Hey, there’s an opportunity coming up for x,y,z, know anyone who might be interested?” We're using our network not just to support our own work, but to help others too.

What was your proudest achievement while a postdoc?

I was one of the first Borysiewicz fellowship awardees. This was the first year that the fellowship was awarded to postdocs that were not just interested in academia, but were interested in being exposed to and helping solve global challenges.

A key moment for me was joining a cohort of eight other postdocs—this group became my core community, and we’ve stayed in touch as much as possible. We worked on a range of non-scientific skills, like media and business training, which are valuable in industry, government, or beyond. It was definitely one of the highlights of my postdoc experience at Cambridge.

As part of the fellowship, we took part in international visits to Sierra Leone, where we trialled a mobile diagnostics set up for infectious diseases, and Singapore and Malaysia, where we met key opinion leaders and explored the local ecosystems for entrepreneurship, technology, and education. It was a great opportunity to compare those environments with what we knew from Cambridge.

What would you suggest for postdocs who are interested in following a similar career path to you?

I think being open to opportunities that come up is the key message because you just never know. I never imagined myself in this kind of role, but it came from staying connected and being open to opportunities—even if they look nothing like what you expected. That’s really the best advice I’d give: keep your network alive and stay open-minded, because the right opportunity might look completely different from what you had in mind.

If you could give your former self one piece of advice in your first year of being a postdoc, what would it be? 

Not to worry so much about how things might turn out and not to doubt your instincts. There’s always uncertainty about what your career is going to be like. But it’s not as bad or overwhelming as one thinks. As long as you can adapt to changing scenarios and you're not really set on one way of doing things, but you generally know what you want to achieve, I think there are many ways to achieve your goals. As someone once said to me, the market is always looking for talent.

In your work, what are some of the main barriers to gathering data from more diverse, non-European populations?

In my current role, I work with a range of large genomics projects—some government-led, others privately funded - across three very different territories, each with its own unique challenges and strengths. Despite the differences, one common issue underpinning all of them is infrastructure - it’s consistently a major challenge.

In the UK (especially in Cambridge) we often take for granted our solid history in genomics research and collaborations with the NHS. We also have entities like Genomics England leading the way and setting the example for governments and other institutions to adopt genomics within healthcare. This level of support and infrastructure isn’t common in many other regions, often due to funding and resource limitations.

The Middle East is its own unique ecosystem and there’s strong potential to build up with rapid progress. Countries in Africa and India face different challenges, especially around funding and infrastructure for large-scale projects. Luckily, we can learn from how the UK and Europe execute such projects and come up with creative solutions to make the most of the resources that are available.

Having people with experience in large-scale projects - like sequencing tens or hundreds of thousands of samples - is crucial. Success depends on the right mix of experience, infrastructure, and funding coming together. This is a big challenge for the region, but I’m excited to be part of it and use my experience from European projects to support these teams to achieve their goals.

Is there anything else you would like to mention? 

Make use of the ecosystem that Cambridge has to offer. Sign up to events. Use the Postdoc Academy, they really want to help you as a postdoc. Stay in touch with the people you meet and develop the networks you create. That's the key take away - and don't forget to enjoy your time at Cambridge even when the future seems uncertain!