Shaunagh Slack

"The personality types I was matched with were:- Influencer: This fits very well with the work that I do because when working in science it is, of course, important that you have attention to detail and can produce and interpret data, but it is equally important that you are able to communicate that information to a range of audiences in a way that they understand. For example, in my job I might need to present the same results to a room full of scientists and then to a room full of farmers, which usually requires the use of different presenting techniques to make sure I have presented the information in a way that is clear but still covers the scientific points.- Manager: Staying motivated and motivating the people you work with is a really important part of working in a team. It is important when leading projects, that I can adapt quickly based on discussions with my team to make sure that we are doing the right work to get the best possible results. When managing projects it is also important to be organised, both with the financial budget and with making sure that all the tasks are being completed on time.- Quality Controller: This is an important trait for anyone working in science as attention to detail and the curiosity to look at things from different perspectives are part of the job. "

"I am a crop physiologist working at PepsiCo and the main aim of my job is to identify ways to grow crops better, whether it is to achieve better yields, better nutritional content, or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.I most enjoy the opportunity to lead my own projects, from forming an idea to executing the experiments to presenting the results back to my team and other people I work with. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to know that the work I do is helping farmers all over the world to improve the way they grow their crops which in turn improves the food we eat, and, more importantly, protects the environment meaning we will be able to keep growing food for generations to come!The starting salary for a crop scientist is around £30,000 but there are opportunities to work up to a six-figure salary."

"I didn't always want to be a scientist, in fact for a long time my favourite subject was English and I thought I might go on to be a teacher when I finished school. I realised that I had a real interest in biology during my A Levels, and after going to some university open days I decided that a science degree was what I wanted.I originally went to university to study biomedical science, but in my first year I had the option of taking an elective module in plant science and I realised that I enjoyed that module more than any of the others I was taking. Because of that, I made the decision to switch my major to Botany within the first few weeks, which was a big risk because I had been so certain about becoming a biomedical scientist when I started university, but it was important that I enjoyed what I was studying so it was a risk worth taking.During my degree I completed three internships, two in a plant science lab at the University and the third at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. The internships helped me to see what a day in the life of a scientist was like, I had the chance to be independent and run my own experiments as well as teaching other students some of the practical lab skills that I had learned. Through those internships, I received some excellent mentoring from my supervisors which encouraged me to pursue a career in research and go on to complete a PhD.The most important lesson I learned along the way was that it is OK to change your mind at any stage of your career and it is important to base you decisions on what you enjoy the most because it's true what they say - \"If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life\"."

"I enjoy travelling and like to experience new things, whether that's climbing a pyramid in Mexico, cliff jumping in Cornwall or exploring a Christmas market in Vienna. I am also a keen baker and like to make treats for friends and family, especially birthday cakes which test my decorating skills!"

"On a typical day at work, I am usually found at my computer analysing data, which involves lots of time working in Excel or statistics software and producing presentations or reports so that I can share the results. I also spend a lot of time working with my team to plan new experiments to answer new scientific questions, this usually means sitting down together, in person or on a video call, and looking at what we have done so far to see where there are gaps in our knowledge that we can fill with new experiments.One of the most exciting parts of my job is the opportunity to travel. I run experiments in several countries, including the USA and Canada and I usually have the opportunity to visit them once a year."

"2009: Leaving Certificate (Irish A Level equivalent): English, Mathematics, Biology, Geography, German, History2013: BSc (Hons) Botany - University College Dublin (Grade: 2.1)2017: PhD Crop Science - University of Nottingham"