Naomi Marie Wee
Scientific Visualizer and Designer

Science is often intricate and complex, which is why I was always so fascinated by the illustrations in textbooks that explain difficult concepts and structures. As a result, I usually replicated these diagrams in my lecture notes; soon, drafting images became my favourite learning tool. My keen interest in the artistry and creativity of science led me to the Master’s of Science in Biomedical Communications at UofT even before I completed high school. To qualify and train for this ultimate goal, I pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biology and I took a wide range of art courses every year throughout my undergraduate studies.

My interest in Science and Biomedical Communications also shaped my student research jobs where I created scientific illustrations for a dissertation in the microbial genetics research field. This provided me with valuable insight on what types of skills might be useful when collaborating with a research expert. Since the topics delved into molecular research, there were often no known visualizations of the components we wanted to illustrate. It challenged me to think critically about how I transform data and information into comprehensive and compelling figures. During this exploration, it became incredibly clear to me that visual inspection is a vital part of advancing research as it presents new insights and questions.

The transformation of information, from raw data to quantifying the relationships between the data to then reconstructing the data into an intuitive figure, demonstrates the ways in which science is conceptualized and shared. My career goal is to work closely with molecular medicine researchers and to visualize scientific discoveries that can help advance research as well as educate people, whether it be a medical audience or the general public.