Chloe Reihill

"If you had asked me if I was a natural communicator a few years ago my answer would have been a straight no. In school, I was desperately shy and found it difficult to hold a conversation with anyone who wasn't one of my friends or a family member. Since leaving home and going to University I have really come out of my shell and gained confidence in my communication skills. Now communicating with people and giving presentations is something that I really enjoy (except for the pre-presentation nerves). Working in research requires effective communication so that you can inform your team and others of the findings of your research. For this, it is important to know and understand your audience so that information can be shared in a way that it is understood. This leads on nicely to my second personality type: Trainer. A trainer-type personality will thrive on the success of others, be passionate about sharing knowledge, and be a good listener. These are qualities that fit in well with the work that I do. To work within research, it is important to want to share your knowledge with others - you could have carried out the most amazing research with incredible findings, but unless this is shared with others it really has no use. Also, working in a research environment requires you to work within a team, so it is important to value the success of others and to be a good listener. My final quality was co-ordinator. A coordinator is someone who is organised, works well with others, and is patient and compassionate. These are qualities that I think match well with me and my role. Good organisation skills are important in my role as often a Ph.D. student is in charge of their own research and work-plan. I think that patience and compassion are two qualities that are generally undervalued in the workplace. It is always important to be understanding to the people around us and this is especially important when working with others. "

"I am a Ph.D. student working in the Chemical Engineering department at the University of Manchester. A Ph.D. is an advanced degree that differs from other taught degrees such as master's and bachelor's degrees in that it involves an independent research project. A full-time Ph.D. will often take up to around 3 - 3.5 years to complete, or 4 years if you are working with an industrial collaborator. My project is in collaboration with the University of Manchester and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, a biopharmaceutical company. The thing I enjoy most about my job is the flexibility of my role, and having the opportunity to plan my own work. A Ph.D. project is often funded by the University, a research council, or an industry collaborator. As a Ph.D. student, you receive a stipend payment (often tax- free) which can range from anywhere between £14, 000 - £20, 000 per year, or in some cases even higher. Being a Ph.D. student also comes with some added benefits such as not having to pay council tax and being able to get student discount. "

"In the summer of my second year at University I did a placement as an Engineering Intern at a Pharmaceutical company in Dublin. This placement really helped me to gain some insight into working as an Engineer in Industry and confirmed to me that my interests were primarily to work within the pharmaceutical industry. When it got to my final year of University we had to apply for our final year research projects. I saw one which was to do with using infrared spectroscopy to analyse the API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) of drug products and applied to be placed to work within that research group. The research project which was advertised ended up not being available anymore when I was placed in the group, but I ended up doing an equally interesting project which involved using infrared spectroscopy to investigate the behavior of prostate cancer cells. I enjoyed my time working on the project so much that I knew I wanted to continue my time in research. When my supervisor advertised for a Ph.D. project in his group working with an industry collaborator in the Biopharmaceutical industry I knew that I needed to apply. After sending in an application to my supervisor, and completing an interview with my co-supervisor and industrial collaborators I was accepted onto the Ph.D. studentship. "

"In my spare time, I like to make time to meet up with my friends, usually over drinks or dinner, but sometimes going for day-trips. Equally, I think it is really important to take some time for yourself and to 're-charge' after work. For this reason, I really value a night-in, and will usually spend this time watching movies, reading, or just unwinding in general. I also really love walking and climbing. This is something that my Grandpa really got me and my siblings into, most of my memories of him are him leading us on really long walks. Last summer I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain for 2 weeks with my sisters, mum, and grandpa. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves walking and has the opportunity, though you'll need to be able to hack the heat if you walk it during the summer months. In general, I will go for a couple of long walks during the weekend and sometimes shorter ones in the evening during the week. I live in the center of town so I will usually try to find some green space or walk along the Canals in Manchester. I find walking is a great way to clear my head, de-stress, and to get some fresh air. I've also started going to an indoor climbing centre, which I've found really fun!Finally, I've gotten really into cooking and baking more recently. This is something I never really experimented much with as an undergraduate student which I think was a shame. Now I love trying out new recipes, and I've found that it is a great way to be creative. It has been nice to slowly see my confidence grow in the kitchen. "

"The type of work I do will vary from day-to-day. The aim of the research project that I am working on is to develop a sensor system that can inform on the quality of biopharmaceuticals. These sensors could be embedded into drug purification steps, and help to improve the consistency of drug quality, lower the time required for manufacturing, and in turn lower the cost of manufacturing. Ultimately the outcome of this project could be to aid with lowering the cost of Biopharmaceutical medicines, so hopefully, they could be more available to those who need them. To carry out this project my day-to-day work is pretty evenly split between planning and carrying out the labwork/experimental work and data analysis. As well as this my typical day will involve group meetings, replying to emails, and reading new scientific papers. "

"(A-Levels: Further Math, Biology, Chemistry) After completing my GCSE's I started studying towards A-levels. At the school I went to, we were encouraged to study four subjects in the first year and sit them as AS-levels, and then to drop one of them at A-level. I studied Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics at AS-level, and chose to drop Physics after AS-level. I remember at the time this feeling like a really big decision and worrying that I would later regret not carrying on with Physics. Looking back I am glad that I chose to carry on with the subjects that I did because they were ones which I enjoyed and found interesting. I would say to anyone worrying about what subjects to choose to try to prioritise the subjects they really enjoy, but also to consider the requirements for any degrees or careers they are interested in. (Integrated Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, MEng) After completing A-levels in Further Maths, Biology, and Chemistry I moved from Northern Ireland to Manchester to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester. I chose to study Chemical Engineering because I loved Maths and Chemistry, I considered myself to have a pretty practical mind and I enjoyed solving problems. Also, a degree in Chemical Engineering leaves open many doors careers-wise. As well as careers in the processing industry, a degree in Chemical Engineering can equip you with the skills to get a job in Consulting, IT, or the Financial Services sector. I studied a four-year integrated Master's (MEng) which is effectively a degree that combines a bachelor's (3 years) and master's (+1 year) into the same period of undergraduate study. While I found the degree challenging, looking back I really enjoyed it and am very grateful for the experiences and skills it has provided me with. Most of all I met some amazing people along the way. "