How do you describe your job when you meet people at a party?
Busy, never a dull moment, lots of opportunities
What is ‘cutting-edge’ about your work?
In my work for Cambridge Reactor Design, we are involved in designing and building novel equipment for chemistry labs. We’re always looking for innovative solutions – a good example would be where we have integrated robotics with vision systems to give real-time decision making within experiments.
What are the biggest implications your work will/could have in the future?
Some of CRD’s products are enabling technologies for new developments in the low carbon economy field, whilst all the projects focus on ‘doing more with less’ therefore having an impact on lowering emissions. Independently, the overall aim is to help individuals/organizations fulfill their potential, so who knows what that might lead to!
Describe some of the highlights of your average day.
I’m not sure I have an average day, but some recent highlights have included: Getting a grant application accepted for a collaboration with a University. Meeting some great apprentices who I will be helping with a BTec qualification. Going to a reception at the London Stock Exchange for the launch of ‘Clean and Cool Mission’. Exhibiting at ‘Innovate 09’, with CRD featuring in the post event web highlights.
Describe briefly how your career has progressed to date.
My role has evolved from bench chemist, to pioneer of lab automation for process chemistry, to manager of a technology group in process chemistry (partly based in Italy). It then progressed to accountability for the change management required to introduce new technologies and ways of working to a department of 1000 chemists based in 7 sites in 5 countries. Now I have a 'portfolio' career, part-time with a small company developing new technologies such as robotics and automation for chemistry labs as their Product Development Director and part-time as an independent training and organisational development consultant
How is your job cross-disciplinary?
At CRD I’m working mainly with engineers, however our customers are in the chemistry sector, so I am a link between the disciplines. It’s a small company, so we all have to ‘get stuck in’ – my job involves everything from discussing chemistry with an academic partner, to talking to designers about marketing materials, discussing strategy with a trade adviser, providing quotes to customers and giving input to instrument designs (and I’ll probably make the tea as well!). So the job needs you to have skills in, and to interact with others from, a wide range of disciplines.
What’s the most unexpected thing about your job?
What’s the biggest achievement of your career so far?
Pioneering the use of laboratory automation in a Chemical Development environment
