Hi Chloe! How’s your day going? What have you been up to this week?
My day is going fabulously thanks, mainly because I found a £1 coin on the pavement this morning! And my work is going along well too haha.
I’ve been having a grand time this week – I’m temporarily rolling off one project and getting ready for another project to start ramping up. One of said projects may or may not have something to do with gaming, which may or may not be one of my favourite pastimes…
Nice! Always good luck to find a penny or few, and to be working on something extra exciting.
We first met last summer at the legendary Vixen Labs Field Trip, right? I seem to remember that was, like, your first week with us…
Yes! It just so happened that the first time Vixen decided to do something like that was on my third day with the company.
It also happened to be just after getting one of my COVID vaccines, so I had to juggle the nervousness I felt with some jab-induced jitters (mild at least!).
But everyone was so warm and welcoming and the snacks were TOP FORM, so I soon forgot all about that.
THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING A VIXEN LABS RESEARCHER
Tell us more about how you came to your current role. You’re from Johannesburg, right?
Yup, born and bred! In fact, I lived in the same square mile my whole life, until July 2021 when I finally made the move to the UK – which was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
After finishing my MSc in Neuroscience with King’s College London (online), I wanted to come here in search of a more promising career in tech.
I hadn’t ever considered working in the world of voice and conversational technology (heck, I hadn’t even so much as asked Alexa anything before). My focus was on breaking into a research role that hopefully had something to do with human brains interacting with machines, and along came Vixen Labs with the perfect fit for me!
Very cool. I remember it feeling pretty serendipitous when you popped up, so I’m really glad it’s proved a good choice!
You’ve been with us for nearing nine months, now. Has there been anything about this role – or Vixen itself – that’s really surprised you?
Oh, quite a few things. The rate at which we move and grow is extremely impressive to me – within the last year or so the company has brought in many new wonderful people, and we get to work with some really big clients.
“IF YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC CAREER GOAL IN MIND, CHANCES ARE YOUR FELLOW VIXENS WILL GENUINELY SHOW INTEREST IN THAT AND DO ALL THEY CAN TO HELP.”
I’m also pleasantly surprised by all the effort that is made by everyone here to help each other out. Not just in a day-to-day teamwork capacity, but on a grander scale. If you have a specific career goal in mind, chances are your fellow Vixens will genuinely show interest in that and do all they can to help you get there.
MORE ABOUT RESEARCHER CHLOE PRINCE BEHIND THE ROLE
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Any passion projects we should know about?
Basically, I’m a big big nerd and spend most of my free time playing one of my favourite video games, watching some kind of British period drama or horror movie, or dreaming about visiting Japan.
I also want to make it a mission of mine to explore as much of the UK as possible because there is so much fascinating history around every corner here.
Oh, and I also recently started archery which is a great time – I’ve only gotten an arrow deeply ensconced within a brick wall once so far!
We don’t often work together as you’re usually deeper on client projects, but from our all-team meetings and start-the-day standups I get the impression that you’re super friendly and open to new experiences.
Do you think that’s a key part of being in research – that curiosity?
That makes me so happy! I’d definitely class myself as a Very Curious Human Being who loves learning new things, and that passion certainly makes research more enjoyable.
I think anyone can relate to that innate curiosity humans have, and research underlies just about everything we do.
The trick is learning to be comfortable with the fact that the more we understand, the less we seem to understand…it’s a weird one, all right.
To round us off, we have three quick-fire questions!
First up: Who in the wider tech industry would you love to swap places with for a day – and why?
Gabe Newell, founder of massive video game corporation Valve and extremely cool guy, so I gather.
In this scenario, do I also get to swap brains? Because I’d love to see inside the mind of someone who has helped create that many flagship experiences in the gaming industry.
Late start or late finish (I know there’ve been a few of those with US timezones!)?
Early(ish) start and early finish! Is that an option? lol
Totally – I’m with you on that! And finally: what’s your go-to takeaway/delivery meal?
Pizza, because you can’t beat a good pizza.
Nice choice!
Thank you for joining me for this interview Chloe.
Where can people find you if they’d like to connect?
LinkedIn! Come and say hi:
Researcher Chloe Prince – LinkedIn profile
You can also find me on Instagram.
Fancy having your name up in Vixen Labs lights? Your first step to joining Chloe and the rest of the team is to head to our Careers page. Have a good read of all the info there and get in touch if you have any questions.
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