Profile
Anita Richardson
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About Me:
I am a mum to two young children. I am a Scientist that works in the dark making products that respond to light. The products I make turn into pictures taken with a camera. I enjoy yoga, being outdoors, dancing and arts and crafts.
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I enjoy going out dancing, doing arts and crafts with my kids or on my own, solving puzzles, learning new science facts, taking photos, cooking and gardening with my kids, yoga, being outdoors.
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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My Work:
I am a senior scientist that works in a lab in the dark because the chemicals I work with respond to light. I am also a section leader leading and managing a team of scientists looking at new technologies for our company.
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The change from black and white film to colour film is quite different. There are lots of new chemicals needed to make a colour film. The change has made my job very interesting and varied.
I lead a team of scientists looking into early development activities for colour film products. We find the new raw materials required and understand the role each chemical plays. We either purchase the new chemicals or we make them in the lab (which is really cool as we get to make all different coloured compounds).
When we find a new raw material, we check how good they are by adding them to a liquid formulation. This is then coated and dried onto a sheet of thin plastic called ‘film’ using a large machine. We then use different parts of the visible light spectrum to expose the coated film samples to see how well they behave to light. The samples are then dipped into a solution of chemicals in a dark room to help turn the film samples into a black and white or colour image.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up at 6am. I drive to work and arrive around 8am. I turn on my laptop and read and reply to emails whilst drinking tea or coffee. I catch up with my reporting team members.
My day varies everyday but typically, I either go to meetings or go to the lab to carry out experiments to make new raw materials or prepare formulations, or write a report on my PC or do some research online such as reading books, journals, patents on new raw materials or photoscience. I have a morning and afternoon break around 10.30am/3pm. My lunch is around 12pm and on my lunch I enjoy going for a walk to the local corner shop and back to the office to get some fresh air and exercise. I leave work around 4.30pm and then I pick up my kids and be mum until they are in bed. I usually chill in the evenings watching reality TV shows like taskmaster, The Apprentice or The Great Pottery Throw Down.
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We have a camera photography club in work and we have quite a few members across the company who meet every month during lunch and we talk about the photographs they have submitted for the photo theme of that month. We use film from work and loan cameras from our technical services department. We are allowed to go into darkrooms to develop the films into photos. Some past themes we have had include: water, urban street photography, nature, light.
Onsite, we have a photo lab like the highstreet ‘Max Speilman’ where customers all over the world post their films to the lab to be developed. As part of working at the company we get a 50% discount and can get pictures printed and framed to give as gifts or to put on the wall at home.
Some times I attend coating trials at our massive coating machine facility or in the finishing areas where all the film and paper are put into cassettes or packaged into boxes.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would use the money towards materials for a science workshop or afterschool STEM club to carry out cool science experiments with local schools.
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Education:
I went to The Grange Comprehensive School in Runcorn, Cheshire. The subjects I chose at GCSE were Resistant Materials (wood work), IT, Art, Psychology.
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Qualifications:
The Grange Comprehensive School, Runcorn (1996-2001) – GCSES : I got 1 A, 4 B’s, 5 C’s and an E. (11 in total)
Cronton Sixth Form College, Widnes (2001-2003) – A-Levels: Chemistry (B), Art (B), Biology (C), Mathematics (D)
University of Hull (2004-2008) – Undergraduate Masters degree (MChem): 2:1 in Chemistry with Forensics and Toxicology
University of Liverpool (2010-2014) – doctorate (PhD): Chemistry
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Work History:
Asda, Runcorn, Cheshire (student contract) 2002-2007 – Checkout Operator
Urenco, Capenhurst, Cheshire (internship) 2007-2008 – Lab Technician
Whitford Ltd, Runcorn, Cheshire 2008-2010 – Development Chemist
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Current Job:
Harman Technology Ltd, Knutsford 2014-present – Senior Scientist
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Employer:
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
dancing photographic scientist
What did you want to be after you left school?
A forensic scientist
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not at high school. I did run into some trouble in primary school when being picked on by bullies.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would be a dancer or an artist
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Sam Smith, Foo Fighters,
What's your favourite food?
Spaghetti Bolognaise
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I would love to have my own lab and do my own research, to keep learning, to continue to spend quality time with my kids
Tell us a joke.
Q. What is white, green and bounces? A. A spring onion
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