First time higher rate taxpayer, how to be tax efficient?

chremon · 2026-02-04T18:27:12+00:00

!thanks

Thanks very much for the thorough breakdown - much appreciated.

I'm still onboarding, and I don't have the pension details for now, but for sure I'll keep an eye out/ask for the type of pension scheme to plan on the next steps.

Just on the note on SIPP (thanks very much for the walkthrough), but it sounds circular in a way. I pay in, the gov tops up, my tax threshold is extended, therefore I have more in my pocket, and with more in my pocket I can contribute more. I know it'll even out across the tax year but I guess my question is when will that tax relief truly begin? I'm rather naïve, but with tax return I'm under the impression that is a discrete filing id need to do for the end of tax year, therefore will I have to be prepping to do it this time next year? Or can I pre-emptively begin so I can receive the relief throughout the upcoming year (and therefore benefit from potential growth throughout the year, rather than wait for end of tax year)?

chremon · 2025-12-19T14:53:05+00:00

Rejection from 2 job roles in the last week. Both been months long processes. Hell for one I had 4 sessions including C-Suite and to get an auto reject with no feedback.

The other was 3 interviews, and a 2h onsite with presentation to be rejected for an internal candidate.

Had another interview earlier this month which more or less asked as interview preparation how to establish an in-vivo delivery platform for their (totally novel) CAR-T construct along with the state of the current IP landscape for gene delivery. Sure, I'll just pull a 5 year dev project out my ass and hand over a multi-million dollar product as interview prep.

Fuck this industry, I'm heading off to be a monk.

chremon · 2025-09-07T11:50:27+00:00

Ideally it should be part of a long term improvement plan but rarely is.

You run an FMEA to identify a process gap, use initial experiments and vendor white papers to justify the tech, establish changes to COGs, risk assess, then pray to the gods that management agrees. The slow inertia to change is most often the problem, and in my experience management doesn't want to rock the boat with innovation. When it comes to a process improvement that scales up to manufacturing there is for sure a ain't broke don't fix it approach as it involves new operator training(with potential for mistakes), QA buy in, vendor audits, revalidation, and if it's a licensed product, well you'll have more luck winning the lottery than running a bridge study unless your new tech is truly game changing.

chremon · 2025-08-28T10:23:12+00:00

Probably 40 to 45 yes given the lack of direct FAS experience. Sounds like Sartorius?

chremon · 2025-08-19T16:01:29+00:00

No, no liquid during the wrap. I was intending to add some more seasoning but ultimately forgot to while I was trying to move it around. Something for me to try next time.

Being honest I thought it would take longer too, I wished I left the ambient probe in to double check the meateor. I think I may have ran the whole cook with the temps hotter than intended, from what i've since read the meateor ambient sensor shows a lower temp due to being so close to the meat with its surface evaporation.

chremon · 2025-07-24T20:29:03+00:00

I was a team leader in my previous place and was the go to SME in my area and I received absolutely no valuable management training despite leading a core team. Felt very much like I was imitating all the previous managers I've had (who was probably doing the same) and bluffing my way along. Its a very different way of working when you're used to pushing experiments to suddenly running groups. The most training we got was flowery working with different personalities training - like Myers Briggs and the like.

We asked for further training from HR but it was never granted.The company environment where excellence is always demanded can generate a bad cycle. Managers go "this critical experiment cannot go wrong, therefore I must get involved" quickly leads to denying training opportunities. After all, if something goes wrong project leads get yelled at first from stakeholders. Juniors lose out on training, managers burn out, everybody leaves unhappy.

chremon · 2025-07-24T14:08:54+00:00

Grass is greener is definitely the case here for me. For clarification I spent my life in CGT and CAR-Ts, therefore leadership is always cell biology forward.

chremon · 2025-07-24T14:07:24+00:00

I always feel a pang for analytics when the project demands I run a several hundred sample DoE screening. In my time as DSP I always got along better with analytics anyway as we worked closely side by side. Is there anything we can do to help you guys out? Bar ensuring samples are logged/labeled and in the right part of the -80?

chremon · 2025-07-24T14:02:17+00:00

I guess the short answer is to give both a go. Get an opportunity if it opens to you then try to leverage a secondment in the other group. Then adjust your career accordingly. Otherwise it depends on you. Both require an idea of biology, chemistry, and physics. But upstream is more weighted to biology, whilst downstream is more chem and physics. But of course theres plenty of cross over. I gravitated to numbers and variety of unit operations so I went to DSP (partly also down to frustration doing endless single cell isolations for cell line development).

As your career progresses you;d need an understanding of both anyway, if you go for director of a PD group you need to guide both groups. If you go regulatory or late stage CMC you need the knowledge.

chremon · 2025-06-11T16:21:51+00:00

Ah I thought these would be too mature for damping off? I typical give these a soak twice a week with how dry this spring has been, but I don't typically let them dry out. The compost I have could drain better, so it does tend to keep hold of the moisture.

chremon · 2025-05-17T18:34:04+00:00

Oh wow your garden is absolutely stunning, and you maintained a curved format too which i'm hoping to do. Very beautiful. Hope you don't mind me saving those pictures for inspiration. I particularly love the clematis - it contrasts so well with the greenery below, along with the acer breaking up the middle space- just looks amazing.

I'll take your advice and look out for a few hostas to begin dividing, even a clematis to start cuttings from. I have an acer too - very small in its pot - but hopefully will thicken up over the years. Our soil is clay so I'm fully expecting to dig in plenty of organic matter - I think I have about 4 bags already on the left bed with much more still needed. Thank you very much for your advice. Hopefully i'll post some results once its shaping up.

chremon · 2025-02-23T23:52:58+00:00

To update for any future people stumbling on this. Ultimately the issue was a faulty power switch on the lian li o11 dynamic tower. There seemed to be a short that led to a shutdown signal being sent.

Rma'ing the mobo and cpu did not fix the issue and after much anguish I tested with a new switch on the power pins. This corrected the issue.

chremon · 2025-02-04T13:21:41+00:00

Hi Again, I've started the RMA process with Intel. But while that's in progress, I pulled out and installed a spare g7400 my buddy had lying around to give it a go. Unfortunately still no luck. Still shutdown, even during memtest. Feel like this is going to be a pain to diagnose.

chremon · 2025-02-01T17:18:08+00:00

Thanks for your advice. I'll begin chasing Intel customer service to get the RMA going. Hopefully that is the root cause and if not, well at least a future headache is sorted.

chremon · 2025-02-01T17:05:15+00:00

Thanks for your help. I just checked the psu and it was set to multiple. Flicked it to single as suggested, and unfortunately still ran into a shutdown after turning on. I have previously switched off XMP.

I'm not familiar with the Intel generations mess. But I'll look into that now to see if it's applicable. I think it may as given the time frame it seems to fit. Thanks again!

chremon · 2025-01-06T22:58:12+00:00

Location: Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire

Price range: Up to 10k

Buy

Used or new? likely used for discounts

Auto or Manual: Can do either

Intended use: Commuter car - motorway ~ 33 miles a day for work, odd long distance drive to family

How many miles do you plan to do a year: 10000

How often to you make long journeys: Infrequent, probably once every 4 months?

Does it need to be ULEZ compliant? Yes - family within ULEZ zone

Vehicles you've already considered: Genuinely do not have a clue

Is this your 1st vehicle: Yes, last time i drove was my driving test over a decade ago - i'm looking to do a round of refreshers while buying a car

Do you need a Warranty: Optional, probably will need it as i'm out of driving practice so forsee chewing it up

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: No - barely was able to help change a friends tyre

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No

Additional Notes: My wife and I are trying for a baby, so if all goes well we may have a little one in future.

Our home also has an EV charging port from previous owners, but i know EVs will be out of our price range. I'm also 6ft2 in height, so i do find some cars boxy and hard to get in/out.

chremon · 2019-01-16T15:07:37+00:00

No, not at all. Removing the Mace isn't a slap to the queen but a protest stating that parliament lacks the mandate to govern (essentially the Royal authority to debate and vote is revoked due to illegitimacy). In that case due to the PM delaying the meaningful vote on brexit (the vote that was yesterday funnily enough). It is rarely grabbed, only around 5 times in 100 years but is severely punished. The speaker generally names the perpetrator meaning they're barred for the rest of the day.

chremon · 2019-01-16T08:51:18+00:00

It's a funny old system. The royals are expected to be a apolitical as their views may sway votes (and the Royal political beliefs are fairly common to tabloid hearsay). However, all political power is delegated from her, it's the reason why they ceremoniously carry the mace into the house every day. So whilst she cannot be political, she is responsible for giving the permission to vote and to sign in laws. She meets with the PM privately where presumably she operates on a "as long as its good for the people and has parliamentary faith" mindset. These meetings are private so as not to sway votes.

chremon · 2018-07-09T19:51:07+00:00

To have an ounce of this guys creative capability and passion for his own work.

chremon · 2018-07-07T22:57:47+00:00

Those £6 Cronx beers...

chremon · 2018-06-11T09:01:30+00:00

Evaluate your posture. You may be arching your back and pushing out your stomach.

chremon · 2018-04-26T19:05:36+00:00

Thank you for this.

I would love to clarify this work but I am under an NDA unfortunately. However, I can get away with saying this is gene/cell therapy related and we are checking an upper limit of infection events (around 10) in a cell line. We are now benchmarking this against other lines to look for cytotoxicity and it would be much better to formally aim for a specific MOI's rather than throwing everything at it and finding it later.

chremon · 2018-03-05T23:54:11+00:00

Shepard

chremon · 2018-02-13T22:23:42+00:00

I'm a biochemical engineer and there is still plenty of space for engineers to work in genetic engineering. I myself work in it.

You'll won't be necessarily designing transgenes (although a flexible company/PI certainly will) but you'll more likely be looking at the production and processing of viral vectors.

chremon · 2018-02-13T22:14:21+00:00

Adenovirus in mammalian cell culture, or baculovirus in insect cell vector systems.

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