Dashboard – I'm a Scientist 2024

About Me:

I graduated from university in July 2021, and I’m now living in West London and working in Reading. I am research scientist and I love every minute of it!
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The company I work for makes many different types of catalytic converter for cars powered by gasoline and diesel, and they also work on cars powered by hydrogen or by electricity. My team works on three-way catalysts. These catalysts are used in cars powered by gasoline, and they help to remove carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydrocarbons from the exhaust. These three chemicals are very toxic, which is why it is important that they are not emitted into the air.
My Typical Day:

I get up very early so I can catch the train to work. I arrive at about 9, check my calendar and see what I have to do for the day. I might be testing catalysts, or I might be making new catalysts, or I might have lots of meetings to talk about the results of my tests. I can’t get much done when I’m hungry, so luckily I get a tasty free lunch at 12. I usually go home at 5.

Sometimes I work from home if I have lots of data processing to do, or reports to write.
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Making catalysts involves putting on my lab coat and safety goggles, and mixing up a platinum group metal (platinum, rhodium or palladium) with a powder in a beaker. The powder mixture is then turned into little pellets (less than a millimetre big).

Testing catalysts involves putting the pellets into a big complicated machine. The machine acts a bit like a car engine, producing lots of chemicals and getting very hot. The machine checks whether the catalyst is helping to remove the nasty chemicals.
What I'd do with the prize money:

I would donate the money to a charity that works to ensure people get a good education that addresses important scientific issues such as climate change.

Candidate CV questions (extra)

Education:

Primary School – St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary School

Secondary School – Sacred Heart High School

Sixth Form – Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School

University – Oxford
Qualifications:

GCSEs – Mathematics (A*), Statistics (A), Chemistry (A*), Biology (A*), Physics (A*), English Language (A*), English Literature (A*), French (A*), History (A), Geography (A*), Religious Education (A*)

AS Levels – History (B)

A Levels – Mathematics (A), Chemistry (A*), Physics (A*)

University – Master of Chemistry (2:1)
Work History:

Summer 2018 – English Teacher for the iLearner Education Centre in Hong Kong

Summer 2019 – Team Mentor for The Challenge, run by the National Citizen Service

My Interview
- How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
  
  Emissions control researcher
  
  What did you want to be after you left school?
  
  I couldn't decide! Author, singer, doctor, forensic scientist, pharmaceutical scientist...
  
  Were you ever in trouble at school?
  
  Not often
  
  Who is your favourite singer or band?
  
  The 1975
  
  What's your favourite food?
  
  Sushi
  
  If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
  
  I would want to be successful, spend lots of time with my friends and family, and be able to do lots of travelling
  
  Tell us a joke.
  
  What's green and has wheels? Grass. I lied about the wheels.