Brianna Heazlewood
EPSRC Early Career Fellow at University of Oxford
Study subjects that you enjoy and meet as many different people as possible in the careers that you are considering to get a variety of perspectives.
About Brianna...
Who am I?
"I get to work on exciting problems with a group of people, discussing scientific ideas with them. I get to supervise and teach students and undertake precise scientific measurements and decide what scientific questions I want to answer. Coach and Trainer are really useful in my job as they help me to communicate well, understand peoples’ needs, be passionate about sharing knowledge and able to explain ideas well."
What do I do?
"I develop research projects that seek to understand how certain classes of chemical reactions happen. Along with my research group, I undertake this research and conduct experiments in a laboratory. I also use computers to model and explain our experimental results. I supervise graduate students in the research group and teach undergraduate Chemistry students. I love the variety of things I get to do and the excitement of pushing the boundaries of what we know."
How did I get here?
"I studied Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Further Maths, Economics and English until I left school (in Australia). At University, I completed an undergraduate degree in Science, majoring in Chemistry, followed by a PhD in Physical Chemistry. As a postgraduate researcher, I worked in the US before moving to the UK and securing an independent position. I am very fortunate to have been guided by a range of inspiring and encouraging mentors along the way, who helped me get to where I am today."
The life I live
"In my spare time, I enjoy walking/hiking, reading, travelling and spending time with friends and family."
My typical day
"There is no “typical” day, really. I might be in the lab taking measurements, teaching, visiting a collaborator, giving a talk at a conference, writing up the results of our research for publication, or hosting visitors... Lots of different things, which is what makes every day so much fun!"
My qualifications
"Secondary education (GCSE/O-Levels) I'm Australian, so I went through a slightly different education system. I studied Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Further Maths, Economics and English until the end of high school. Post secondary education (College, A-levels, NVQ3 or equivalent) Undergraduate degree (BSc, BA, etc.) Science, majoring in Chemistry Post-graduate degree (MSc, MA, etc.)Doctorate (PhD) Physical Chemistry"